The Phoenix
by Sharkdiver1980
Summary: "I decided to keep the horcrux, so that I might make better use of it. Have you ever heard the expression, Miss Granger, that it is better to fight fire with fire?" "You can't be serious, Professor, that's reckless, its-" "I'm quite serious, Miss Granger, it's the one thing he would never see coming." Tomione, canon compliant through Half Blood Prince, and AU thereafter.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, no profit is being made, this is just for fun**

 **Note: Rated M for future chapters, will be Tomione. Canon through HP and the Half-Blood Prince, AU after that (ignores most all of the Deathly Hallow's story line.) See Author's note at end!**

* * *

Harry watched from the floor beneath, his breathing becoming more rapid as fear trickled down his spine. The headmaster glanced down quickly and locked eyes with him, before looking back towards his trusted friend.

"Severus…Please." The headmaster said quietly, in what sounded like a plea.

" _Avada Kedavra_!" Snape shouted, a sickly green light emitting from his wand shooting straight into the chest of his former mentor.

Harry watched in horror as the headmaster was struck, and time seemed to slow down. He watched as the Headmaster fell backwards, his body careening over the edge of the Astronomy tower, his ears filled with the maniacal laughter of Bellatrix Lestrange. He was rooted to the spot, in shock, as he heard their footsteps descending the stairs of the astronomy tower, and then something inside of him snapped. He pulled his wand and ran after them, not caring about his own safety, fueled completely by his hatred. By the time he reached them, He shot a curse at Snape's back, that he quickly turned to block before he continued striding quickly away.

"Snape! He trusted you!" Harry shouted before firing off a spell, "Incarcerous!"

Severus Snape effortlessly blocked the curse, and continued to stare at Harry.

"Fight back! You coward! Fight Back!" Harry shouted to him.

Bellatrix came up behind Severus and shot a curse at Harry, knocking him to the ground before Severus shouted, "No! He belongs to the Dark Lord!"

Bellatrix sighed and turned away, and Severus continued to stare at the boy on the ground for a moment longer before turning his back to him once more.

Harry climbed back to his feet, and a curse he had vowed to never use again fell from his lips, " _Sectumsempra!_ "

Once again, Snape blocked the curse, and fired back another spell, once again knocking Harry to the ground, panting.

Severus approached him, leaning over to look down upon him, "You dare to use my own spells against me, Potter? Yes…I am the Half-Blood Prince."

Harry's eyes widened in realization, and his head fell back to the ground as Snape swept away from him.

By the time he returned to the castle, the dark mark hung in the sky, a macabre reminder of Voldemort's success. Students and teachers all stood motionless, most likely in shock. The crowd parted to allow him through, as he walked silently to the body of his fallen headmaster and longtime mentor. He knelt down beside him, closing his eyes, so it would appear that he was merely sleeping, and grasped the locket that lay beside him on the ground. Tears began to stream down his face, as the reality of what had happened started to sink in. He placed his hand tenderly on the old man's chest, as if to say goodbye. Ginny moved forward then, and Harry felt her arms come around him, and he leaned into her embrace. His shoulders shaking as he cried.

Behind them, one by one, the students and teachers lifted their wands to destroy the terrible mark in the sky, paying their respects to one of the most powerful wizards who had ever lived. Fawkes' haunting cry could be heard as he circled the grounds, the large phoenix grieving in his own way.

~~(0}~~

Harry, Ron and Hermione knew that their lives had been irrevocably changed the night that Dumbledore fell. The hope that had always burned inside of them, knowing that they had Albus Dumbledore watching over them, and keeping them safe, began to dwindle. Harry began to withdraw, and this time, it was much worse than when he lost Sirius. Hermione became frustrated that she couldn't reach him, and in turn, took her frustration out on Ron. Things were rapidly falling apart.

As the weeks passed, and the term came to a somber close, Hermione returned to her parent's house for what she knew would be the last time. She had thought a lot about it, and in the end, she knew it was the only way to keep them safe. There was no doubt in her mind that the Death Eaters would come for her parents, and so she resolved to get there first. The choice between knowing her parents were dead, or knowing that they would never remember her, living a different life on another continent, and that they would be safe, seemed like no choice at all. Hermione knew what she had to do, but she took one last day with them, wanting to absorb as much of their love as she could, before she would never feel it again. She had hugged them both tightly when they had picked her up from King's cross, and she barely took her eyes off of them all the way home in her father's black BMW. She smiled as they chattered about their dental practice, and some of the funny stories they told about a few of their clients, and Hermione reveled in the sheer normalcy of it all. In that moment, there was no talk of death, or war, there was no Magic, or responsibility, only blissful ignorance, which she gratefully accepted.

Later that evening, she approached her mother's bedroom, and watched from the doorway as her mother attempted to tame the same bushy mass of curls that Hermione was all too familiar with.

"Hermione dear, would you mind?" Her mother said smiling as she held out the brush to her, "You know I really miss having you around to braid this mess for me." Her mother laughed.

Hermione felt her heart clench painfully, as she gently took the brush from her mother's hands, and worked it though the curls.

"Mum, you should really learn to braid your own hair." Hermione said giving her a tight smile in the mirror.

"Whatever for, dear? When I have you to do it for me." She smiled again, her eyes crinkling at the edges as she watched her daughter in the mirror.

Hermione couldn't take it, and her chin quivered as a sob escaped her lips, the hairbrush fell to the floor, and she quickly covered her face with her hands, wanting to block out her mother's confused expression.

"Hermione, honey, what's wrong?" she said with concern, as she pulled her daughter's shaking hands from her face.

Hermione sniffed, trying to put her carefully crafted control back into place, "I…I just miss you, mum." The lie falling easily from her lips.

"Oh, hush now. You're home for the summer, and you only have one year left. Once you graduate, we'll be able to spend much more time together." Her mother said trying to comfort her.

Hermione sniffed again, and rubbed the tears from her eyes taking a shaky breath. She had never told her parents anything about Voldemort, or the war that she was in the very center of, that had been tearing apart the wizarding world for the last six years.

"You're right, I'm just being silly." She said giving her mother a weak smile.

Her mother pulled her into a tight hug, and whispered against Hermione's cheek, "I'm so proud of you, honey, I always have been."

Hermione shut her eyes, once again trying to staunch the flow of tears, as she hugged her mother back tightly, and said in response, "I love you, mum."

Her mother pulled away after a few moments, giving Hermione an encouraging smile and handing the hairbrush back to her, "Now, about this braid." Her mother said laughing and turning back towards the mirror.

Saying goodbye to her father had gone much the same way, except he too did not realize the conversation for what it was. He was sitting on the couch, flicking through the channels on the tv, looking for the game, when Hermione plopped down beside him.

"Hey pumpkin, come to watch the game with your old man?" he asked wrapping his arm around her and pulling her into his side in the familiar one-armed hug that he had done many times over the years.

Hermione laughed, her dad knew she hated sports, "Sure, dad." And she heard him chuckle.

"So not that I really want to talk about this, but I have to ask…you haven't mentioned any boys other than Harry and Ronald…and you're at the age now where…" he began before Hermione cut him off.

"Dad, we're not really going to talk about boys, are we?" Hermione groaned in mortification.

"Well, I would hope that you would tell us if you were dating someone. It's my job, after all, to make sure they treat you right, pumpkin." He said dropping a kiss on her head.

"No dad, with my schedule, I haven't had much time for boys." Hermione said truthfully, and she certainly wasn't going to tell her father that she maybe, kind of fancied Ron.

"Well, that's a relief. Although, I'm sure it's bound to happen at some point. Has your mother talked to you about being safe?" he said awkwardly, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye.

Hermione blushed clear down to her toes, "Yes, dad, can we not talk about this, please? Like ever again?" Hermione said laughing in embarrassment, and then grew somber when she realized what she had said.

Her dad barked out a laugh, oblivious to her change in mood, and hugged her tighter, "Sure, pumpkin."

They stayed like that for the better part of an hour, the comforting weight of her father's arm draped around her as he watched the game with a little too much enthusiasm, and Hermione watching the way her father's eyes would light up when his favorite team scored a goal, committing his face and this moment to her memory.

"Dad?" she asked quietly as he turned his face towards her, his eyes still periodically glancing at the tv.

"Yeah, pumpkin?" he asked

"I'm really happy to be home." She said quietly leaning her head against his shoulder.

He looked at her more fully then, giving her a wide smile, "We're happy to have you home, pumpkin, we miss you so much when you're gone, but we're both so proud of you." He said dropping another kiss on the top of her head.

He let out a small chuckle then, "Do you remember that time when we took you to Disney World? You wanted so badly to go on Space Mountain, and your mother wouldn't hear of it. She thought you would be afraid. I knew you'd be just fine, so I convinced her to let me take you. I'll never forget how you laughed through the entire ride, begging me to let you go on it again. When the time came for you to go to Hogwarts, your mother said the same thing; she thought you would have a hard time being so far away from us, but I knew you'd be okay. You always were my brave girl, Hermione." He said smiling at the memory.

Hermione's breath hitched as her eyes welled with unshed tears. "I still am, dad, I still am." She said as he rubbed her arm affectionately and giving her a squeeze before he turned his focus back to the game. They stayed like that for while longer before Hermione yawned and excused herself to go to bed.

~~{0}~~

Hermione sat at the kitchen table at the Burrow while Mrs. Weasley fussed over her.

"You really should have discussed this with us dear, it was quite extreme." Molly said gently, watching the poor girl with concern as she stared listlessly at the cup of tea that was growing colder by the minute.

"I had no choice." She said flatly, and swiped her sleeve across her face to rid herself of the tears that had been making wet tracks down her cheeks.

"I'm sure the Order could have-" Molly began before Hermione cut her off sharply.

"It wasn't the Order's decision to make. I did what I had to." She said defensively before stalking out of the room and jogging up the twisted staircase into the room she shared with Ginny when she stayed over.

Ginny looked up from the book she'd been reading when Hermione barged into the room, slamming the door behind her.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Ginny asked softly, not wanting to push.

Hermione blew out a breath she hadn't even realized she'd been holding, "Not especially." She answered quietly.

"Alright." Ginny said and turned back to her book.

After a few minutes had passed, Hermione broke the silence, "Do you think I did the right thing?" she asked, needing desperately to hear it from someone else, that she had made the right choice.

Ginny closed her book, and stood up to make her way over to Hermione's bed, and sat down at the end of it.

"I think you made the best decision that you could, under the circumstances." Ginny said patting Hermione's foot in encouragement.

"Would you have done it though? If you were in my shoes?" Hermione asked

Ginny chewed on her bottom lip thoughtfully, "Honestly? I'm not sure what I would have done. I know that mum's just afraid that what you did is irreversible, should we win the war, but…if anyone can find a way to undo it, I know you can, Hermione." Ginny said confidently, giving Hermione an encouraging smile.

Hermione felt a bit of the weight on her shoulders lessen at Ginny's words, and she gave her a tight smile, "Thanks Gin."

Ginny returned her smile and stood up, "That's what I'm here for. Now, what do you say we get outside and see what the boys are up to? It won't do you any good to sit in here moping."

She was right, Hermione knew, whether what she had done was right or wrong, there was no going back now to fix it, and no use dwelling on it. She would just have to remember that no matter what, her parents were safe, and that was the most important thing.

"Alright." Hermione said pushing herself up off the bed, and following Ginny out of the bedroom.

~~{0}~~

The summer passed surprisingly uneventfully, aside from the chaos of planning Bill and Phlegm's wedding; Hermione had to hear Ginny complain about Fleur on a daily basis. Ginny had taken to calling her 'Phlegm' and the nickname had stuck, much to Hermione's delight.

It was one week before the start of Hermione's seventh year when an emergency order meeting was called. Hermione arrived at Grimmauld place not long after Remus Lupin, with the Weasley's.

It struck Hermione as strange, that Harry wasn't there.

"So what's this all about then? Where's Harry?" She asked Remus quietly, wondering if he had any information on why the meeting had been called.

"I dunno, I'm just as in the dark as you." He answered, his voice anxious.

"Well, whatever it is, we're about to find out." Hermione said looking up at him wearily, and he nodded taking a seat at the table.

The rest of the order arrived, with the glaring exceptions of Harry and Severus Snape. Hermione's eyes flicked to the seat that Snape usually occupied, which now sat empty, with a look of disdain.

Kingsley stood at the head of the table; he had recently been appointed Minister of Magic in the wake of the previous Minister's assassination, and he was the last hope of keeping the Ministry out of Voldemort's control.

"I'm sure you are all wondering why you have been summoned here tonight." Kingsley said as his dark eyes swept the length of the table, coming to rest on Ron and Hermione.

"Why isn't Harry here?" Hermione interrupted, asking what many of them were surely thinking.

"Harry is still with the Dursley's. His connection to Voldemort has grown stronger since the death of Albus Dumbledore, and it would be counter-productive to our mission for Voldemort to become aware of our plans." Kingsley said with an air of clinical detachment that pissed Hermione off.

"Counter-productive?" She scoffed, "You expect him to defeat Voldemort, yet you keep him in the dark. He's not some pawn for you to play with, he's got every right-" Hermione ranted before being interrupted by Kingsley.

"You're absolutely right, Miss Granger, and this decision was not made lightly. It is critical that this information stays within these walls. He cannot, under any circumstances, know about what is discussed here tonight, at least not until the proper time. Is that understood?" Kingsley asked with a tone of finality.

Hermione glared at him, wanting to make sure he knew that she absolutely did not agree with this decision, and said through gritted teeth, "Understood."

Kingsley nodded, and then looked around the room again, continuing as if he hadn't been interrupted.

"As most of you have heard by now, Minister Scrimgeour was found murdered last week, and I have been appointed by the Wizengamot to take his place as Minister of Magic. Thankfully, there are many amongst them who are still loyal to the light." Kingsley said as his eyes swept over everyone in the room, "Due to the overt attack on the Ministry, as well as the recent rise of attacks on innocent Muggles, the failsafe has been triggered." Kingsley explained.

"Failsafe? What failsafe?" Remus asked as he looked between Kingsley and McGonagall, wondering if she knew what he was talking about.

"I believe he means me." Another familiar voice said as he stepped out of the shadows and into the room. A collective gasp was heard from just about everyone at the table, save for Kingsley.

Hermione shot out of her seat, "You were dead! Harry watched you die! Harry said Snape…he killed you! And all this time Harry's been blaming himself…" Hermione said angrily, her fists clenched at her sides as she stared at the face of someone she used to trust.

"He did indeed, Miss Granger, _on my orders_." Dumbledore said solemnly as his watery blue eyes pierced into Her brown ones.

A murmur was heard as everyone at the table began to talk at once.

"Silence!" shouted Dumbledore, once again having everyone's attention in the room focused on him.

"You made a horcrux, didn't you." Hermione said in disbelief, the pieces all clicking into place, "That's the only explanation. You were dead. It's the only way you can be standing here right now." Hermione whispered, the rest of the room silently watching the exchange between Hermione and Dumbledore.

"Yes, Miss Granger, I did. I've always known you were the brightest witch of your age." He admitted, watching a look of betrayal form on Hermione's face. She was still in shock from seeing Albus Dumbledore standing before her, but her hand flew to her mouth when he admitted to having made a horcrux.

" _Murder_ , Professor, You of all people!…Who was it?" she demanded angrily.

"Grindelwald." Dumbledore answered simply, with a hint of regret in his voice.

"But, why?" Hermione pleaded, needing to know that the man whom she and her friends had trusted with their lives for the past six years wasn't just as evil as the man who they'd been fighting in a war against all of this time.

"There are some misconceptions about Horcruxes, which considering the subject matter, is often overlooked. They are a dark form of magic, to be sure. To create one, one must take a life; that is certainly true. However, unlike an unforgivable, intent is not necessary. Voldemort, has intentionally murdered his victims in order to create most of his horcruxes. A death, even accidental, or in self-defense, can still result in the creation of a horcrux. I killed Grindelwald in self-defense, and in turn created a single horcrux. It has been hidden away all these years, and the secret was entrusted to only one other person. A person whom I trusted, and still trust with my life." Dumbledore responded. He extended his hand towards another figure who stepped from the shadows into the room, and another collective gasp was heard.

Hermione's face twisted in anger as she launched herself towards the black –clad man, before Remus Lupin restrained her.

"You're a traitor!" Hermione screamed at Snape, struggling in Lupin's grasp. It was very unlike her to lash out like that, but in that moment, after everything she had been led to believe by the people she trusted most, she didn't care.

"He was following my orders, Miss Granger." Dumbledore said sadly, "I'm sorry I could not tell you, but you must understand that it is _essentia_ l that Voldemort must continue to believe that I am dead, and in order for that to Happen, Harry must also believe it."

Hermione glared at her former Headmaster, and the black-clad man at his side, as she pushed out of Remus' grasp and stormed from the room, slamming the door loudly, Ron and Ginny quickly following after her.

"Well, that went about as well as I could expect." Albus Dumbledore sighed.

* * *

 **AN: Ahhh! Another fic! I couldn't help myself...this one just popped in there, sorta like the Staypuft Marshmallow Man, and I had to get it out into the world. I already have five chapters written, but it is a WIP.** **Are you loving this? Hating it? Have questions? Leave me a review! If you review anonymously, I won't be able to answer you directly, but I will do my best to address your comments in the Author's notes at the end of each chapter! xo**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, no profit is being made, this is just for fun**

 **AN: Here's the next chapter, Dun dun dun!**

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Hermione stared up at the ceiling, watching the small flock or birds circle above her bed. They often formed, without her even noticing when she was angry.

There was a quiet knock at the door, and she looked over towards it and sighed, "come in."

The door opened, and Albus Dumbledore stepped inside quietly, "I wonder if I might have a word in private?" He asked, his blue eyes seeming to search hers for forgiveness.

She couldn't form the words, so instead she gestured to a nearby chair for him to take a seat.

"I know this has all come as quite a shock to you, Miss Granger, and I truly do feel sorry that I couldn't allow anyone to know about this, especially Harry. The boy has been through so much, and I'm sorry to say, he'll have to shoulder even more before this is all over."

Hermione nodded, her jaw tensing as she gritted her teeth to staunch the angry tirade that was threatening to pour from her lips.

"He won't forgive you for this deception, you know." She said finally, looking into his eyes.

Professor Dumbledore looked more tired than she had ever seen him, "I know, I don't expect he will, but it is a sacrifice that must be made for the greater good." He said

Hermione scoffed, "You know, I often wonder, Professor, who will benefit at the end of all of this; not Harry, not the Weasley's, and certainly not me." She said quietly thinking back to how she had completely removed her parent's memories of ever having a daughter.

"Sometimes, Miss Granger, we must look beyond ourselves. It is the difference in choosing between what is right, and what is easy." He said solemnly, and she knew that he was right.

"Tell me what to do, Professor." She said quietly, looking up and meeting his eyes, which she was relieved to see held the twinkle that she had so missed.

"I shall, Miss Granger." Dumbledore said kindly as he gave her a small smile.

~~{0}~~

Hermione sat dumbfounded in her room long after Professor Dumbledore left her alone with her thoughts. Simply put, the plan was madness. She had argued with him, vehemently, telling him how utterly bonkers it was, and how she thought he was making a huge mistake, but it was already too late; the events had already been set into motion.

After the Professor had explained to her about the unbreakable vow Severus Snape had made to Narcissa Malfoy in order to protect her only son, and at what cost, She understood that he had left explicit instructions with Severus Snape on the whereabouts of his horcrux, and that it was the very same professor who had completed the dark ritual in secret within days of Dumbledore's death, restoring life to his previous body. When he had gone on to explain the rest of his plan, her jaw had hit the floor. He told her how he had also recovered one of Voldemort's horcruxes, the Gaunt family ring, which had cursed his hand when he had attempted to destroy it. He decided then, to keep it hidden, creating a replica of it that appeared to be destroyed that he would give to Harry to convince him that Voldemort's remaining horcruxes would need to be found, and destroyed before Voldemort himself could be defeated. When Hermione had asked why he hadn't destroyed the ring, she spluttered ungracefully at his response.

"I decided to keep the horcrux, so that I might make better use of it. Have you ever heard the expression, Miss Granger, that it is better to fight fire with fire?"

"You can't be serious, Professor, that's reckless, its-"

"I'm quite serious, Miss Granger, it's the one thing he would never see coming."

"But he's evil! Surely you can't trust him!" Hermione shrieked, feeling like Dumbledore's sanity had not returned along with his body.

"Come, Miss Granger, I'll show you." He suddenly stood, and held out his arm to her. She looked up at him in shock, and against her better judgement, she placed her hand upon his arm disapparating with a crack.

When she opened her eyes, she was in a room she didn't recognize, and there was a boy who appeared to be the same age as her sitting at a desk reading a book. She knew who it was immediately, and gripped her wand tightly in her pocket. Her eyes darted between the man she had trusted for the last six years, and the much younger and more human version of her greatest enemy.

"What have you done, Professor?" she whispered in shock, her voice trembling as she met Tom Riddle's obsidian eyes.

"Tom, I'd like you to meet Hermione Granger, she's the brightest witch of her age." Dumbledore said with a light chuckle, his blue eyes twinkling merrily, as if this were all some big joke.

"Charmed, I'm sure." Tom said raising a perfectly sculpted eyebrow at the wand that was currently pointing at his face.

"There's no need for that, Miss Granger, you can put your wand away; no one is going to hurt you."

Tom scoffed lightly in an arrogant way that only made Hermione more angry.

"Do you have something you wish to say to me?" she snapped, pointing her wand directly into his neck.

He smirked glancing down at the wand pressed to his throat, and then back up to her face, "Yes. Are you always this friendly?" he asked with an air of sarcasm.

When he made no move to pull his wand on her, she growled in frustration and lowered hers.

"Harry's going to hit the roof when he finds out-" she started saying to Professor Dumbledore before he held up a hand

"I'm quite aware that Mr. Potter will disagree with my methods, however, as I said before, he mustn't know…not until the proper time." Dumbledore insisted, looking at her over his half-moon spectacles.

She clenched her jaw, glancing between the two men. _Was this really happening?_

"Well, I've some business to discuss with my dear brother, I shan't be long. I'll leave the two of you to get better acquainted, since you will be working quite closely together, after all." He stood walking towards the door to the room, with Hermione gaping after him like fish.

"Sir, you can't mean to leave me here with this…this…" She spluttered

"Tell me how you really feel." Tom muttered under his breath, narrowing his eyes at her.

Dumbledore gave her a small smile, and stepped through the door to find his brother, Aberforth, waiting on the other side.

Back inside the room, she turned sharply to face Tom, crossing her arms over her chest, "You, sir, are a…a…" Hermione stammered trying to find exactly the right word to describe him.

"A _what_?" he mocked, smirking at her and mirroring her stance.

"A murderer! Not to mention a prejudiced fucking arsehole!" Hermione finally shouted.

On the other side of the door, Aberforth chuckled looking at his older brother, "I like her already."

"Miss Granger is indeed a force to be reckoned with." Professor Dumbledore clapped his brother on the back and led them down the hall to a study to talk, unconcerned about the two brightest students he'd ever taught, left alone in a room together.

~~{0}~~

"I'll have you know, that aside from one accidental death, and one in self-defense, I've not murdered anyone _, thankyouverymuch_." Tom snapped, narrowing his eyes at her.

"But you killed Moaning Myrtle, and…and your _father_! Not to mention Harry's parents, and whoever else you killed to create all of those other horcruxes…" she accused, still gripping her wand tightly in her pocket in case he tried anything.

"No, I didn't. Murder implies intent. Myrtle Warren was in the wrong place at the wrong time. True, I did release the Basilisk, but I did it to see if I _could_. The Basilisk killed her, not me. As for my father, well, he pulled a gun on me. What was I supposed to do, just let him shoot me? As for everyone else you mentioned…that happened while I was stuck in that damned ring, so you see, _I_ haven't murdered _anyone_."

Hermione scoffed, "Semantics. You still shared his hatred, you still want what he wants." Hermione shot back, unwilling to believe his lies.

"Oh? And what do I want, _Hermione_ , please enlighten me, seeing as you clearly know so much about me." He spat sarcastically, they were almost nose to nose now.

"You hate muggleborns, and muggles, and want them all dead. That's your whole plan, isn't it? Rise to power and kill us all." Hermione snapped poking her finger into his chest.

He batted her finger away, and grasped her upper arms bringing his lips close to her ear. She stiffened in response, and he smirked at her reaction to his proximity, "Lest you forget, _Hermione_ , I'm a Half-Blood."

Goosebumps rose on her skin at the way her name rolled off his tongue; it sounded like liquid velvet, and she shivered.

"That didn't stop your counterpart." She said looking up at him defiantly.

"No, it didn't, but once again… _I am not him_." Tom said meeting her gaze and rendering her speechless.

The door suddenly opened, and she stepped back from him quickly, her cheeks turning pink in embarrassment.

"Ah, I see the two of you are getting along." The professor chuckled as he stepped into the room.

"We haven't killed each other, if that's what you mean." She spat sarcastically.

"Yes, well, its time that I return you, Miss Granger. Tom, I'll be speaking with you soon." He said lightly as he held his arm out for Hermione to take. She took one last glance at Tom Riddle, and the corner of his mouth lifted into the ghost of a smirk just before she disapparated with the Professor.

When she felt her feet touch the floor, and she could see she was back in her room at Grimmauld place. Professor Dumbledore once again took the opportunity to remind her of the utmost need for secrecy.

"Forgive me, Professor, but you keep mentioning ' _The proper time'_. When exactly would that be?" she asked him.

"We do not want to tip our hand, Miss Granger, if Voldemort believes that we are vulnerable, he'll get careless; he'll make mistakes." Dumbledore explained.

Hermione chewed on her lip thoughtfully, and once again expressed concern for Harry.

"He's withdrawn, Professor. I'm worried about him. He feels as if the weight of the world is on his shoulders, and that he must bear it alone." She said sadly.

"Not alone, Miss Granger. I've no intention of sending the boy to his death. When the time comes to defeat Voldemort once and for all, Tom and I will be at his side."

Hermione nodded, but there was still something bothering her.

"Sir? What does Tom Riddle get out of all of this? Why has he agreed to help us destroy…well… _himself_?" Hermione asked timidly.

"The Tom you've just met, has not been treated kindly by the world, nor by myself, I regret to say, and he has made some poor choices, but no one is irredeemable, Hermione. Second chances can be a powerful gift, if one is so inclined to change." Dumbledore said cryptically.

"But how do you know that he truly wants to change? What if we go through all of this, and he just does it all over again?" Hermione asked

"Perspective is a powerful thing, Miss Granger, I have found that Death has given me an abundance of it; but to answer your question, if Tom deviates from our agreement, then I shall kill him myself." Dumbledore said with an air of finality that made her shiver.

"Now, if that is all, I must go." He said giving her a small smile

"Sir? You said I will be working closely with Tom Riddle. What will I be doing?" she asked, her brow rising in confusion.

"You will be learning legillimency from him, which in turn, you will teach to the others, once you have mastered it. You will also be monitoring him, and reporting directly to me. Surely you didn't think I'd leave him to his own devices?" The Professor chuckled.

"But what about Hogwarts? I'll be returning to school-" she started.

"Yes, Miss Granger, you will. Mr. Riddle will also be attending Hogwarts disguised by polyjuice potion, posing as a transfer student. The two of you will take on the role of Head girl and Head Boy this year, which I assume is agreeable to you?" The professor smiled at her, his blue eyes giving their incessant twinkle.

"Of course" Hermione said, excited about her new status as Head Girl, and partially discomfited that she'd have to share such close quarters with Tom Riddle.

"I have the utmost faith in you, Miss Granger." He smiled before sweeping from the room leaving her alone with her thoughts.

* * *

 **AN: Horcrux Tom! what do you guys think? I'd love to hear your thoughts! Leave me a review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, no profit is being made, this is just for fun**

 **AN: I've already mentioned this story is AU after Half Blood Prince, and by that I mean, its not going to follow the story line of the Deathly Hallows AT ALL – one example, is that the Slytherin Locket horcrux that Harry got with Dumbledore at the end of HBP, in this story, is the real locket, not a fake one. They will be at school, not on the run hunting Horcruxes, though they will sneak out for brief periods when they get a lead on something. I'll put another AN at the end! Enjoy!**

* * *

Hermione made her way to her usual compartment on the Hogwart's express and found Ron and Harry already inside. Ron was eating a chocolate frog, and Harry was staring listlessly out of the window, his hand absent mindedly rubbing his scar.

"Hey." She said catching their attention as she made her way in and took a seat beside Harry, "Are you alright?" she asked him, gesturing to his forehead.

Harry nodded, giving her a tight smile, but she could see that it didn't reach his eyes.

"Yeah, it's nothing. It's been burning pretty much constantly ever since I took the locket."

"Have you found a way to destroy it yet?" She whispered, and Harry shook his head in the negative, turning back around to face the window.

She looked down when she felt something land in her lap, it was a chocolate frog package.

"Congratulations, Mione, I heard you've been made Head Girl this year, not that we all hadn't expected it." Ron said giving her a small smile.

Hermione blushed slightly, and grabbed the package, "Thanks, Ron"

The door to their compartment slid open suddenly, and Harry, Ron and Hermione all looked up to see an unfamiliar face in the doorway. He was tall, with dark brown hair and light blue eyes

"Would it be alright if I join you? All of the other compartments were full." the boy asked.

Hermione looked at him questioningly, and then remembered what Dumbledore had said; Tom Riddle would be attending Hogwart's disguised by Polyjuice potion and posing as a transfer student. Her eyes widened, and she shot him a look as if to say, _are you crazy?_

Ron spoke up before Hermione could, "Sure mate, I'm Ron, though I can't say I've seen you before."

"No you wouldn't have, I'm a transfer." He said reaching is hand politely towards Ron to shake his hand, "Thomas Spencer, but you can call me Tom."

He took the open seat beside Ron and looked pointedly at Hermione and then to Harry.

"You must be Hermione Granger. I was told I should look for you. I'm to be the Head Boy this year."

Hermione's mouth formed a small "o" and when she was about to ask how he had known that, since for appearances sake she wasn't supposed to know who he was, she realized as she glanced down at her chest that she was already wearing her shiny Head Girl badge on her sweater, and blushed.

"Yes, well, you've found me." She said giving him a tight smile, and glancing nervously at Harry, who still hadn't said anything. She hoped that the locket's effect on Harry's scar would be enough of a distraction to keep Harry from becoming suspicious of Tom.

Harry spoke up suddenly, seeming to make a decision, "Where did you transfer from? You didn't say." He asked as his green eyes scanned the boy sitting diagonally across from him.

"No, I didn't. I attended Durmstrang." Tom answered quickly, his lie very convincing to Hermione's ears.

Ron laughed suddenly, "Hey Mione, I wonder if he knows Krum?"

"Ha Ha…very funny, Ronald." Hermione blushed. Ever since their fourth year, Ron brought up Viktor Krum as often as he could just to make Hermione blush. She was certain it was because he was still jealous, even if he couldn't admit it.

"While I can't say we're friends, I certainly know of Viktor Krum. He's sort of a celebrity back at Durmstrang." Tom smiled at Ron, before his eyes swept over to Hermione, the corner of his mouth lifting up into the ghost of a smirk.

"Forgive me if I'm being rude, but…You're Harry Potter, aren't you?" Tom asked, his eyes searching the face of the dark haired boy sitting across from him.

Harry sighed, and let out a mirthless chuckle, "Yeah, how did you guess?" he said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"The scar. It's kind of hard to miss." Tom said offering his hand to Harry.

Hermione held her breath as Harry looked at Tom's outstretched hand, and after a moment of hesitation, he reached forward and shook it. She released her breath slowly when she saw Harry turn back towards the window, completely unfazed.

"Well, Tom, I believe you and I are supposed to meet the other Prefects at the front compartment in about five minutes." Hermione spoke up, wanting to be anywhere but sitting in the same compartment as Tom Riddle and Harry Potter.

"Of course, shall we?" he stood, holding the door open for Hermione to pass through it, before he gave another polite nod to Ron and Harry before following after her.

Hermione was silent all the way to the front compartment, and Tom proved to be a skillful actor as he talked with the other prefects, winning them over nearly instantly. She even caught a few of the sixth year girls giggling when he walked by. Merlin help her if she had to listen to _that_ all year.

By the time they reached Hogwarts, Hermione and Tom were asked to direct the first years to the boats, and then make sure everyone else was seated in the great hall for the start of term announcements. Professor McGonagall placed her hand on Harry's shoulder as she walked by the Gryffindor table and bent down to whisper something in his ear. Hermione watched his eyes widen slightly, and look towards the staff table with an angry glare.

The very last person Harry Potter had expected to see was standing at the Headmaster's podium, and his fists clenched tightly, and Hermione could see a muscle twitching in his jaw.

"I should like to remind you all of the rules before the feast begins; No students are permitted in the forbidden forest without the express permission and /or accompaniment of a Hogwart's staff member. Disregard of these rules will result in immediate expulsion, or death."

No one made a sound as Severus Snape's eyes swept over the sea of students, his eyes locking for a moment on a pair of Green eyes that would forever haunt his dreams.

"Also, we have a new seventh year transfer student from Durmstrang Academy who has graciously accepted the Head Boy position. Mr. Spencer, if you would." The headmaster gestured to the stool sitting in front of the entire student body where the sorting hat sat waiting,

Tom stepped over to the stool, his cheeks slightly pink from all of the attention, and he picked up the sorting hat and sat on the stool, before placing the hat on his head.

" _Ah, I've sorted you before, the heir of a founder, is rare indeed…well there can be no doubt which house to place you in…must be_ SLYTHERIN!

Hermione felt the blood drain from her face. She knew who he really was, and honestly, she had expected it, but having it reconfirmed sent a shiver down her spine.

"Lucky you, Hermione, you get to share your common room with a Slytherin." Ron scoffed, "He seems like an okay bloke though, so maybe it won't be that bad."

Hermione wanted to laugh at that, _not that bad_? She had to share a living space with a junior Dark Lord!

"Yes, well, we shall see." Hermione said as she watched him take a seat next to Malfoy and wanted to vomit. _How in the seven hells did Professor Dumbledore think this was a good idea?_

~~{0}~~

After the students were all ushered back to their houses for the night, Hermione made her way to the Head's quarters. She was so exhausted that she was sure she would fall asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

"Granger."

 _Dammit._

"Tom." Hermione acknowledged as she swept past him towards the Head Girl's room, but she wasn't so lucky when he stood and caught her arm.

"I think we ought to discuss a few things." He said in an authoritative tone, and Hermione narrowed her eyes.

"Oh? What _exactly_ do you think I'd want to discuss with you, _Riddle_?"

"It's Spencer."

Hermione glared at him, "In private, I'll call you whatever I like." She said acidly and he smirked.

"Fiesty. Well, if that's the rule, I'd prefer to not have to take this vile Polyjuice when we are alone in here." Tom said and looked down at his watch and Hermione watched with her mouth agape as the polyjuice wore off, once again revealing his true form. Truthfully, the polyjuice only made some subtle changes to his appearance, enough that no one would recognize him as Tom Riddle. His eyes were back to their usual inky darkness from the light blue they were while on the potion, his hair became darker, his cheek bones became sharper, his lips fuller, his jaw slightly more angular, and his complexion lighter. Overall, he was handsome while under the effects of the polyjuice, but he was what some girls would call gorgeous, naturally. It wasn't fair, really.

"Much better, don't you think?" Tom smirked running his hand through his black hair before meeting Hermione's gaze.

She was still glaring at him.

"You know, you would be much more attractive if you didn't have that look on your face all the time." Tom smirked and leaned back casually on the couch, placing his hands behind his head.

Hermione snorted indelicately, "Oh? And what look would that be?" She snapped, placing her hands on her hips defensively.

"You know, that look of distaste. It as if someone pissed in your pumpkin juice." Tom chuckled.

Hermione glared at him, mouth agape, "Yeah? And you'd be much more likeable if you weren't a complete _psychopath_."

He laughed then, loudly, and Hermione felt something flutter in her stomach at the sound.

"So tell me, _Hermione_ , who is this Krum?" Tom asked, remembering her flushed cheeks when Ron had brought up his name on the train.

" _Viktor_ , is none of your concern." She snapped crossing her arms over her chest.

"I disagree. Considering I am supposed to have been a student at Durmstrang, it would be in my best interest to know at least a few details about the school celebrity."

Hermione sighed, "He's a Seeker for the Bulgarian Quidditch team. He's quite good if you listen to Ron." Hermione sniffed.

"And if I listen to you?" He asked, the corner of his lips curving up into a smirk.

"I wouldn't know, I'm not really a fan of Quidditch." She said trying to evade the question.

"Perhaps not, but you are a fan of _Krum_." it was a statement, not a question.

"Look, It's not…Viktor and I went to the Yule ball together fourth year. We're friends, and _that's all_. Ron just likes to tease me about it, because he's jealous." Hermione sighed rubbing her temples, "Why are you so keen to know about my relationship, or lack thereof, with Viktor Krum, anyway?" she asked in exasperation.

"Because you seem to not want to discuss it, which naturally made me curious." He chuckled and caught the pillow she threw at him as she walked straight to the door of her room before she glanced back at him over her shoulder.

"You're insufferable!" She said as she stepped through the door, slamming it behind her.

She could still hear him laughing.

~~{0}~~

The next morning, Hermione entered her common room to see that Tom was already gone. She picked up her bag and stopped by the Gryffindor common room to see if she could catch Harry, Ron and Ginny before they headed to the Great Hall. When she walked in, Harry was sitting on the couch, and Ginny was sitting beside him talking quietly. Ginny looked up and caught Hermione's eye when she approached, and so she took the other seat beside Harry.

"How could they do this?" Harry suddenly spat, "He murdered him in cold blood!"

Hermione placed her hand on his back in a calming gesture, feeling a surge of anger all over again at Dumbledore for keeping Harry in the dark.

"I know, Harry. You must understand, that Voldemort has much more influence now than ever before. I'm positive that he's the reason Snape was made Headmaster. He wants one of his own on the inside keeping tabs on you. Half of the Wizengamot is in his pocket, so it's no wonder it happened so quickly. We should be thankful that at least Kingsley was made Minister." Hermione said quietly.

"I'm going to kill him." Harry said suddenly, and Ginny looked at Hermione pleadingly.

Hermione forced Harry to look at her, "Harry, you musn't. I know how angry you are, and I'm angry too, but you can't lose focus now. It's what Voldemort wants…he wants you to give in to your hate. _Don't let him win_." Hermione pleaded.

After a few moments, Harry blew out the breath he'd been holding, "You're right, Hermione, it's what he wants."

Hermione saw a look of relief flood Ginny's face.

"You need to focus on his Horcruxes, Harry. We need to figure out what the others are, and how to destroy them so that when the time comes to face him, he'll be mortal again."

Harry nodded, his green eyes boring into hers.

"You're not alone in this, Harry." Hermione said wrapping him into a hug. After a few moments, she felt him relax into her embrace.

"I never congratulated you. You'll do great as Head Girl, Hermione." He said giving her a crooked smile, as he leaned back to look at her.

"Thanks Harry. Now what do you say we get to Breakfast before Ron eats it all?" Hermione laughed pulling him and Ginny off the couch.

~~{0}~~

Hermione was annoyed to find that Tom shared every single one of her classes. And what was worse, was that he was always had his hand in the air whenever the Professors would ask a question. Hermione hadn't earned nearly as many house points for Gryffndor as she usually did, because Tom was so charming to the Professors, that they called on him more and more often. The only Professor that didn't seem affected by his charm was Professor McGonagall. Though she didn't outright ignore him, she certainly didn't give him any preferential treatment, which made Hermione smile. It seemed that no one, save her, Professor Dumbledore, and his brother Aberforth, knew who Tom Spencer really was.

By the time dinner rolled around, Hermione was glad to be free of Tom, taking her seat beside Ron, across from Harry and Ginny.

"It's a shame that Tom ended up in Slytherin, he seemed like an alright bloke. Looks like Malfoy's already got his claws into him", Ron said as he stuffed a roll into his mouth.

"No surprise there." Hermione sighed wanting to avoid the topic of Tom altogether.

"Be careful, Hermione." Harry suddenly said, and her eyes flicked up to his.

"What do you mean?" she asked innocently, _he didn't suspect anything, did he?_

"He's a Slytherin, and now he's hanging around Malfoy. I don't think I need to explain what that means, now do I?" Harry spat sarcastically. He had told them everything that had happened on the Astronomy tower that night, and how it was Malfoy who had disarmed the Headmaster, and how he had shown his dark mark.

"I'll be careful, I promise. Besides, I think Tom is smart enough to recognize Malfoy for what he is." Hermione said with more confidence than she felt.

"Let's hope so." Harry muttered as he finally turned his eyes away from Tom and focused on his food.

~~{0}~~

Hermione stepped into the common room, to find Tom sitting with a text book open on his lap and one foot propped up on the coffee table. A lock of his black hair hung over his eye as he read, the tip of his quill feathering back and forth over his lip.

"Why are you staring at me?" He suddenly asked, without even turning his head to look at her.

Her cheeks burned in embarrassment from having been caught looking, and she cleared her throat, "I was merely trying to ascertain how your ego was able to fit through the door."

He scoffed, "Easier than your hair, I'd imagine."

Hermione's mouth dropped open, "You are the last person who should be insulting anyone about their looks!" She spat striding over angrily to stand in front of him.

He laughed at that, "Oh? I wasn't aware that I was that hideous. That's certainly not the impression I've gotten, if the sixth year girls are anything to go by." he said smirking at her.

"You know what I meant. Lord Voldemort doesn't even have a _nose_." She said haughtily, raising her eyebrow at him.

He stood up quickly, towering over her by at least a foot, "And I have told you, Hermione, that _I am not him_."

She felt her cheeks flush at his closeness, and there was a part of her that itched for him to move just a little closer.

"What are you getting out of all of this?" she asked him suddeny, turning her face up to meet his dark gaze.

He leaned closer still until his lips brushed against her ear, and he whispered, "Freedom."

Hermione took a step back from him, her heart beating faster than she cared to admit, and crossed her arms over her chest defensively, "What, you think because you made some deal with Professor Dumbledore behind closed doors that everyone will take his word for it that you've changed?" she snapped incredulously.

Tom growled, "Do you have any idea what it feels like to be a Horcrux? Do you, _Hermione_?"

"Well, no, but-" she started before he cut her off.

"Of course you don't. Someone like _you_ would never sink so low, am I right? Well I'll tell you. It's hell. Complete and utter _hell_. I thought it would have been like falling asleep, and then I'd wake up when that part of my soul was summoned." He said in frustration, his hand running through his hair as he paced in front of her, "It's not as if there was any information on what came next."

Hermione moved to sit on the couch, her interest piqued, "What was it like, then?" she asked quietly.

"I was aware of what he was doing the entire time. Always conscious, forced to watch everything that happened, but powerless to stop it. The part of me that was left on the outside became consumed by hatred and a rage so powerful, that it was like being forced to watch my own suicide."

Hermione listened quietly, not wanting to interrupt him.

"When Dumbledore released me and offered me my freedom in exchange for helping Harry to defeat Lord Voldemort, I knew it was the only chance I had to reclaim my life from the one who took it away from me. I'd rather _die_ than go back into that cursed ring." He said sitting beside her on the couch, staring into the fire that was crackling in the hearth.

"Well, if you truly mean to follow through with this crazy plan of Dumbledore's, I can tell you that befriending Malfoy is not the way to earn Harry's trust." Hermione sighed and tucked her leg beneath her.

"Oh? And what are you now, my mother?" Tom asked raising a perfectly sculpted eyebrow in her direction.

She growled in frustration, "No, of course not…I just meant that Malfoy is a Death Eater. He's one of them. Ingratiating yourself to them is certainly not going to help your cause."

"Hermione, I'm a Slytherin. We do things much differently then Gryffindor's do." He said rolling his eyes.

"What do you mean?" she asked, giving him a questioning look.

"Has it ever occurred to you, that I could be gathering information from that insipid boy?" Tom said flatly.

Hermione spluttered, "Well…no, I…I guess I just assumed…"

"That's exactly the problem; you stand there on your pedestal passing judgement on those who see things differently than you do. Just because I'm a Slytherin, doesn't mean I can't be trusted." He told her

Hermione snorted at that, "If you think I'm that gullible, you have another thing coming, Tom Riddle. Just because you can charm everyone else with your good looks and your innocent act, doesn't mean it'll work on me."

His lips twitched as he tried to bite back a smirk, "So you admit it then?"

"Admit _what_ , exactly?" Hermione said in exasperation.

"That you think I'm good looking." Tom said leaning towards her on the couch giving her a sexy grin.

Hermione scoffed and stood up, "You're impossible. I'm going to bed."

She heard him chuckle and say in a seductive tone, "Goodnight then, _Hermione_."

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 **AN: So what do you guys think? Love it? Hate it? Tell me in a review! Also, I just want to give a shout out to those who took the time to drop me a comment: Laumirot, OptimusPrimeGirl213, EsperanzaHebras, Beestung2025, Pianomouse, Morethanbooks, and a Guest, you guys rock! I am so happy that you guys are digging this story so far! xo**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, no profit is being made, this is just for fun**

 **AN: Yay next chapter! I want to give a shout out to all of you who took the time to review the last chapter: EsperanzaHebras, deriz, beestung2025, Skyrosediamond, LK-Hogwartheadgirl, Guest, Vixen with a Vendetta, and Gullb3rg; THANK YOU!**

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The next morning at breakfast, Hermione did her best to keep her eyes from straying to the Slytherin table, and focused on her porridge, as the owls began to swoop into the hall with the mail.

Harry was deep in conversation with Ron and Seamus when the owl swooped down towards Hermione and dropped a copy of the Daily Prophet along with a note. Hermione it up and examined it, seeing nothing on the front that would tell her who it was from. Just to be safe, she scanned it with her wand and didn't detect any dark magic. She opened it, and inside was just a simple sentence:

 ** _You shall begin your lessons tonight_**

 ** _~A._**

She looked around, and quickly stuffed the letter into her bag, with the intent to burn it later. Her eyes landed on Tom and he returned her gaze before his focus turned back towards Malfoy and his cronies.

The first few classes passed by uneventfully, until she found herself partnered with Tom in the Potions Master level class. Unsurprisingly, there were only a handful of students taking this class, since very few ever went on to get their mastery in the subject. Potions was one of the few classes that she found herself challenged by, since a large part of mastering potions was creative instinct. Following precise directions, she could do, and do well, however, when creative license was required, it was a bit more of a struggle for her. Hermione never gave up on a challenge, so that is how she found herself taking this class, and now partnered with the bane of her existence.

"You're cutting that all wrong, Granger. The leeches need to be cut along the length, not the width."

"The book clearly says-" she began to argue before Tom plucked the knife from her hand and interrupted her

"I don't care what the book says. The whole point of this step is to extract as much blood as possible from the leach. Slicing along the length will extract more of the blood that the leech has consumed than cutting it sideways." He said as he sliced into the leech showing her how the blood welled up much more efficiently than how she had been cutting it. He smirked at her as he collected the blood and dropped it into the cauldron, watching it turn the exact shade of turquoise it was supposed to be.

Hermione grimaced. Not only was he attractive, he was annoyingly good at every single subject. She had yet to see him break a sweat in a single class that they shared, and it drove her up the wall. While she practically killed herself studying, he would sit and read for pleasure, throwing the occasional smirk in her direction. It simply wasn't fair.

"Must you be so smug? It's really not an attractive quality." Hermione muttered under her breath, just loudly enough for him to hear her.

He chuckled, " _Smug_? I'm simply trying to help _you_ , Hermione." He said innocently, and chuckled again when he saw her small fists ball up at her sides.

"Besides, I'm the one who should be offended." He said off handedly as he continued to cut up the ingredients on his side of the desk.

Her mouth dropped open as his pronouncement, " _Excuse me_? What have I done to offend _you_?" she asked incredulously.

"Whenever I stand even remotely close to you, you blush and get all flustered. Clearly, you must be repulsed by my presence." he said smirking as her cheeks reddened.

"You are rather repulsive" she whispered quietly as she pointedly tried to ignore him.

His lips twitched as he watched how hard she was trying to ignore him, and so he made it a point to move closer to her, and occasionally whisper in her ear when he needed something. She glared at him, and he had to bite back a smirk when he saw how she stiffened and blushed to the roots of her hair when his hand landed on the small of her back as he leaned towards her to pluck the stirring rod from her side of the desk.

She was just about to turn and berate him when Professor Slughorn made his way over and gushed over their perfectly brewed potion.

"I say, I haven't seen work this precise since…well…" Slughorn said as he suddenly became flustered and changed the subject.

"Tom, you would make a fine addition to my rather prestigious club! Hermione's already a member of course, the students call it the 'Slug club', you see. Only Hogwart's best and brightest! We're having a little gathering, informal, nothing fancy mind you, next week. I'd be honored to have both our Head Girl and Boy attend!"

"Oh, well you see, Professor-" Hermione begun to stammer an excuse until Tom interrupted her in his smooth baritone.

"We'd be delighted, Professor."

Hermione shot him a look and turned to give her Professor a tight smile. She had to suffer through those 'suck up' parties as she called them through most of her previous year, and she wasn't especially looking forward to attending any this year, however Tom just ensured her continued attendance. As soon as the Professor walked away, she elbowed Tom hard in the ribs.

"Ouch! What was that for?" he asked chuckling as he rubbed his side

"You could have asked me first, I have no desire to go to those insipid parties and now I have to because of _you_." She said through gritted teeth.

"Oh relax, Hermione, say what you want about Slughorn, but he knows a lot of people in powerful positions. He can get you into almost any position you wish after you graduate. Besides, everyone knows that it's all about who you know." he said evenly.

"I'd much rather attain a position based on merit, thank you very much!" she snapped.

"Well, then you are living in a fantasy world. It doesn't work that way, Hermione, no matter how much you and I both wish it did. In order to win, you must play the game." He said as he grabbed his bag and left her staring after him as the class began to file out.

~~{0}~~

After dinner, she was heading to the library to work on her advanced Transfiguration essay for Professor McGonagall, when she heard a very unwelcome voice behind her.

"Going somewhere, Mudblood?" Draco sneered, flanked on either side by Crabbe and Goyle.

"Get out of my way, Malfoy, or I'll-" she began before he cut her off

"Or you'll what? Have you forgotten? Your precious Dumbledore isn't here to protect you anymore, and I'm quite certain my uncle won't miss you." He said sneering at her in hatred as he pulled his wand.

Hermione was faster, and she knocked all three of them back with a non-verbal _stupify_ as she took off running down the hallway, ducking into the girl's lavatory. She hid in one of the stalls, climbing up onto the toilet seat so that her feet wouldn't be visible should they come looking.

A moment later, she heard the door creak open, and a footsteps echo around the room as they came inside.

"Come out, come out, where ever you are." Draco's voice snarled as he began to kick open the stall doors one at a time.

Her heart was hammering in her chest. She'd never particularly felt threatened by Draco, but now that she knew he was truly a Death Eater, and how much he hated her, so had no doubt in her mind that he would hurt her if he believed he could get away with it.

As she heard the stall just to the left of hers get kicked open, she aimed her wand at the door, and blasted it back off its hinges before he could kick it in, knocking Draco to the ground. She ran out of the stall, only to be grabbed by Goyle, who wasted no time in wrenching her head back by her hair.

"That wasn't smart, Mudblood." Draco hissed as he stood and brushed himself off, before walking slowly over to where she was being restrained.

"I wonder what mudblood actually looks like? Goyle, do you think it's red or brown like the filth that it truly is?" He asked as he ran the tip of his wand over her cheek, making a small cut.

Hermione flinched and gritted her teeth, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of seeing he was hurting her. She could feel the blood welling up on her cheek, and starting to drip down her face.

"Huh, would you look at that? It's red. Color me shocked." Draco said mockingly as he laughed cruelly.

Suddenly, the door to the lavatory burst open, and Tom stepped in pointing his wand straight at Draco.

"Let. Her. Go." Tom said in a deadly voice, his light blue eyes as cold as ice.

"Tom. That's funny, mate. Put your wand away. We were just having a bit of fun with the Mudblood." Draco smirked at him, not making any move to lower his wand.

"I'm not your _mate_ , and I said, _Let her go_. This is your final warning." Tom whispered dangerously, and Hermione could swear she felt the temperature drop in the room by a few degrees.

After a moment of deliberation, Draco lowered his wand and nodded to Goyle to release Hermione.

"It isn't wise to make an enemy of me, Spencer, you'd do well to remember that." Draco sneered.

Hermione stood still, rooted to the spot, as Crabbe and Goyle backed out of the lavatory. Draco and Tom stared each other down for another few seconds until finally, Draco started to walk towards the door. As he passed by Tom, Draco said in a low voice that was just loud enough for Hermione to hear,

"I hope the pussy was worth it, _Traitor_."

Hermione squeaked in surprise when Tom's hand shot out and caught Draco by the throat, shoving him into the wall, his face twisted into a snarl.

"Apologize." Tom said in a deadly voice, his face inches from Draco's as he gripped his throat tightly. Draco's face was turning purple as he gasped for breath.

"Tom…" Hermione pleaded, not knowing quite what to do.

"Draco's eyes were wide in fear, and he managed to make a strangled sound that sounded like, "I'm sorry"

A moment later, Tom released his grip and Draco slumped to the ground gasping for breath.

"Now, get out of my sight." Tom snapped, and Draco scrambled to his feet and took off running out of the lavatory.

Hermione was still standing as still as a statue, her heart still hammering in her chest, and her mouth gaping open in surprise as Tom's eyes slowly slid to hers.

"Are you alright?" He asked quietly and stepped towards her. When he reached his hand to her face, she flinched and took a step back away from him.

"You're bleeding. Do you want to go to Madame Pomfrey, then?" he asked raising an eyebrow at her.

She took a deep breath and shook her head that no, she most certainly didn't.

"I can heal it." He said looking into her eyes for permission, before he raised his wand, and said " _Episkey_ ".

Hermione gritted her teeth as she felt the sting of her skin knitting itself back together. Tom pulled a cloth out of his pocket and wet it at one of the sinks before handing it to her so that she could wipe the dried blood from her face.

"I think you just got your wish." He said with a chuckle as she finished wiping her face, and looked at him questioningly.

"What's that?" she asked eyeing him wearily.

"I'm pretty certain my association with Malfoy has just effectively come to an end." He said smirking at her.

Her lips twitched as she tried to bite back a smile, "No loss there, really."

He nodded, picking up his bag and hers where she had dropped it in the doorway.

"Tom?" she asked

"Yes?"

"I…thank you." She said suddenly finding the hem of her jumper very interesting.

"You're welcome." He said giving her a small smile and following her out of the Lavatory and down to the library.

When they reached the library doors, he caught her attention once more before walking away, "Hermione, we start our… _project_ …tonight. Meet me back in the common room in two hours." He said before giving her a small nod and striding away.

Her hands were still trembling from the encounter as she reached the table she usually used in the library. She had been careless, not even thinking about the threat that Draco now posed since he believed Severus Snape to be loyal to Voldemort. From now on she would have to be more on her guard. She finished her Transfiguration essay in record time, and made her way back up to her common room. She knew that Tom would be teaching her Legillimency, and she was quite nervous about him rooting around in her head.

When she reached the common room, Tom was sitting on the sofa, the polyjuice potion already having worn off, and her breath hitched when he looked up at her. She felt the flutter in her stomach again, and immediately blamed it on nerves from her previous encounter with Malfoy, which reminded her of his crude words to Tom, ' _I hope the pussy was worth it'_. This thought inevitably led to images of Tom ravishing her on the couch.

"Hermione?" He said chuckling, "You seem like you're a million miles away."

She shook herself, blushing fiercely at having been caught, mortified at what she'd just been thinking about.

"I'm sorry, it's been a long day, just distracted is all." She lied smoothly.

He smirked knowingly, and teased, "Well, whatever it was you were thinking about so intently, I'll be able to see when we start."

Hermione's eyes widened in horror, and she pointed a finger at him, "Riddle, I am not, repeat, _not_ giving you permission to root around in my private thoughts. We will focus on specific things, and that is all. I'll respect your privacy if you agree to respect mine." she said acidly

He chuckled again at her riled state, "Relax Hermione, I promise I won't go looking for the fantasies you've been having about me."

Her mouth fell open in shock, "In your dreams, Riddle."

"Maybe, would you like to see?" he said seductively as he took a step towards her smirking. She was blushing again, and placed her hands against his chest to push him away, unable to ignore how toned the lean muscles felt beneath the Oxford shirt he wore.

"I'm quite sure I have no desire to see whatever it is _you_ fantasize about, Riddle."

"Are you? You might enjoy it." He said chuckling at her as he moved back to the couch patting the seat beside him for her to take.

"Can we just get on with it then?" she said in exasperation as she kicked off her shoes and tucked her feet beneath her as she sat facing him.

"Fine. Why don't you tell me what you already know, so that we can go from there?" He suggested.

Hermione nodded, "Well, I know that Legillimency is art of accessing someone's mind. It can be used to read thoughts, feelings, as well as to access memories. In order to perform it, one must maintain eye contact with the subject." Hermione stated

"Correct. To expand upon that, you must know that even the most receptive minds have a natural barrier of resistance. It can be persuaded to allow you access, or you may have little choice but to enter by force; however, using force will make it a most unpleasant experience for the subject. If a mind is persuaded gently, there should be no pain. The human mind, in most cases, is complete chaos. If you are looking for something specific, you must visualize what it is you are looking for by either focusing on a thought, feeling, or a memory. This will coax the brain to move those related thoughts, feelings and memories to the forefront of the mind, allowing you to view them." Tom explained, and Hermione found herself completely enraptured by his voice.

"When I say most minds are chaos, I mean that very few are organized in a compartmentalized fashion. Those that are, will have a natural affinity for Occlumency, which I assume you are familiar with?" Tom asked

"Yes, Harry had a few lessons with Snape, although he was never able to keep him out." Hermione said frowning.

"Yes, I imagine with Potter's connection to…well… _Lord Voldemort_ , His mind is most likely more chaotic than most." Tom said, his face impassive.

"I think the best place to begin, is for me to have you focus on something that you want me to see, and I'll attempt to enter your mind. You will be aware of what I'm doing, so pay attention. Most importantly, you must keep eye contact with me. Then, I'll have you try it."

"Alright" she whispered, not looking forward to having him in her mind.

"First, I'll show you the wand movements." He said as he lifted his wand and gave a small counter-clockwise twirl that ended with a flick.

Hermione practiced a few times until she felt like she had it down.

"Good, now…focus on what you want me to see, and then look into my eyes when you're ready."

She had to think for a moment, what did she want him to see? Suddenly, she knew, and her eyes snapped up to meet his.

"Legillimens!" he commanded, completing the wand movement, and suddenly he was there.

He was in a dark room, looking around through Hermione's eyes. He could feel her fear, as she held her wand aloft, lighting up the spaces around her. There were rows upon rows as high as the eye could see of small glass orbs. A noise sounded ahead of them, and a rush of black smoke revealed a cloaked figure in a silver mask. She looked around, her breath coming out in short pants, as her eyes swept over her friends, Harry, Ron, Luna, Ginny, and Neville, all who appeared just as frightened, if not determined as she. They were surrounded. One of the cloaked figured stepped forward, his long blond hair falling neatly over his shoulders, he hadn't bothered with the mask.

"Give me the Prophecy. I can show you how to read it…Haven't you been curious?" he said in a low tone to Harry

Harry studied him, clutching the small orb tightly in his hand

"I've been waiting fourteen years for this." Harry said quietly

The blond man, most likely a Malfoy gave the boy a sympathetic look, "I know."

Harry sneered, "Well then I guess I can wait a little longer! _Stupify_!" he shouted as the blond man was blasted backwards away from him.

The others, including Hermione, quickly began to fire of spells to disarm, and to stun as they split up and ran through the darkened room, looking for a way to escape.

Suddenly he felt a flash of pain, and knew Hermione had been hit by a curse. She looked down, and her shoulder was bleeding, though she kept moving forward, her teeth gritting in pain as she shot a stunner at the Death Eater who had attacked her. A few moments later, they all met back up in the center of the room, and at the far end, another Death Eater was coming straight towards him. One of her friends, Ginny, raised her wand and fired off a ' _Reducto'_. They all froze as the orbs began to tumble from the shelves in a giant wave threatening to engulf the entire room. They turned, and ran straight ahead, launching through the door, and falling to the floor in a heap. When he looked up, he could see a strange floating archway with a sinuous transparent veil fluttering within it. He could hear it whispering.

He felt Hermione stand, pain shooting through her injured shoulder, as she raised her wand again looking for signs of trouble. Suddenly, Harry moved forward with his wand raised and shouted, "Get behind me!"

Black smoke engulfed them, swirling around them suddenly making it impossible for him to see. When it cleared, he felt himself, in Hermione's body being restrained with a wand at her throat. He watched through her eyes as the blond main once again approached Harry for the small glass orb.

"Did you actually, or were you truly naïve to think that you stood a chance against us? I'll make this simple for you, Potter; Give me the prophecy now, or watch your friends die."

Harry stood, looking around at where his friends all stood helplessly, when Neville suddenly shouted, "Don't give it to him, Harry!"

He watched as Harry reluctantly handed over the orb, when suddenly, there was a bright flash and another man stood behind the blond. When the blond wizard turned, the man said

"Get away from my God-son" and decked the blond wizard as hard as he could.

The Blond wizard crashed to the ground, the small glass orb shattering as it landed. From that point, chaos erupted. The Aurors had arrived, blinding light chasing swirling darkness . Hermione lowered herself to the ground to avoid being hit, and watched as her best friend stood back to back with his God-father firing off spells in front of the peculiar archway. Time suddenly seemed to slow down as a jet of green light hit the older man in the chest, and he fell back without a sound disappearing through the veil. Harry's screams filled his ears as well as the crazed laughter of the dark haired witch who'd killed his God-father. He watched as Harry stood and ran after the witch, and Hermione scrambled to her feet after him, shouting, "Harry, No! Please!"

He chased after Harry's form in Hermione's body all the way to the Atrium of the Ministry, where he found Harry standing over the dark haired witch, his wand pointed at her. She was looking up at him with fear in her eyes.

Harry seemed to be struggling, on the brink of taking her life.

Then he saw himself…or rather, who he would become in the future. He looked more monster than man, egging Harry on to kill the unarmed witch before him.

He broke eye contact with Hermione suddenly, feeling anger welling up inside of him

"Why did you show me that?" he said through gritted teeth.

"I wanted you to see what you become." She said quietly, her breath coming out in short pants from the exertion.

" _I'm not him!"_ He shouted at her, momentarily stunning her with his outburst, before he turned his face away from her.

"Then prove it." She said quietly, reaching a hand towards him, before letting it fall limply to her side.

He met her gaze, his dark eyes searching hers.

"I don't _want_ to become like him." He admitted, as he held her gaze.

"Then I won't let you." she said, surprising herself with the level of conviction in her voice.

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 **Ahhhh! So what did you guys think of my more sinister Draco? Like it? Hate it? And yeah…Tom is so Hot when he's being all tough *sigh***

 **Let me know what you think!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, no profit is being made, this is just for fun**

 **AN: Hey all! I just wanted to mention, that I changed some details for the purposes of this fic regarding the death of Tom's father, and the Gaunt Ring. I'm not going to say anything here, I'll just let you read it, but it was important to this story for me to do it this way…I know it's not canon, so please, just roll with it for the sake of this story. I'll put another AN at the end!**

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"Are you ready?" he asked

Hermione took a deep breath, and raised her wand before nodding at him and meeting his intense gaze.

She completed the wand movements, and whispered, "Legillimens!"

She felt like she was plunged into a pool of water, surrounded completely in darkness. When she broke the surface, she was staring up at a large mansion. It was dark; the lights on inside of the house were her only source of light. She couldn't decipher the feelings she was experiencing, they seemed to war between longing, disgust, and intense anger. She looked down, and saw Tom's long legs striding towards the house. She could sense that this had been an impulsive decision.

His hand lifted and knocked upon the door. A light on the large porch where he stood flickered on overhead, and she heard footsteps coming to the door.

When the door was wrenched open, Hermione inhaled sharply, staring at the face of the man before her.

Tom Riddle Senior.

Tom was a carbon copy of his father, the only feature taken from his mother were her dark obsidian eyes. Deep blue eyes met her gaze, and the look of shock upon his face quickly morphed into anger. Hermione felt a pang in her chest, and could sense the sharp sting of rejection that Tom felt in that moment.

"What the hell are you doing here?" his father spat, looking down upon Tom in disgust.

"I just-" Tom began before his father interrupted him

"I know who you are, and I'll tell you just the same as I told your crazy bitch of a mother; Stay the hell away from me if you know what's good for you." He spat as he pulled a revolver from his hip and pointed it at Tom's face.

She felt Tom's posture go rigid at the threat he now faced, lifting his hands and beginning to take a step back as his father continued talking.

"Maybe its better this way…I can just be rid of you now, and no one will ever need to know." He said grabbing Tom by the back of his neck and forcing him inside the house, shutting the door behind them.

She could feel Tom's heart beating wildly in his chest, and he was already reaching slowly for his wand while his father seemed to be distracted.

"I had a fiancé before everything happened, did you know that? That crazy bitch from over the hill _drugged me_ , and somehow convinced me to marry her. I was trapped, _trapped_ by her, unable to escape as she slaked her lust over and over again with my body. It wasn't until she got pregnant with you, that she stopped drugging me. She actually _believed_ that I loved her! I should have killed her then, it would have solved this little problem quite neatly, but I suppose I scared her enough that she learned her lesson. She _ruined_ me…My fiancé, the love of my life, _left_ me. Thankfully, your mother died giving birth to you. I had hoped that you had died along with her, but _Christ_ , here you are. Have you come to take the few things I have left? Well, I won't _let_ you…" he said raising the revolver once more, but Tom was faster, and the anger that had been building inside of him during his father's tirade exploded out of him as he hit him with a non-verbal _Reducto_.

Tom Riddle Senior flew back across the room, hitting the wall so hard that his skull fractured on impact. The last thing he remembered as he looked down at the crumpled body of his father, was his shaking hands as he slid the gold ring with the black stone off of his finger.

Hermione broke eye contact, feeling the bile rising in the back of her throat. Though it was Tom's memory, it had felt like it was happening to her.

When she finally managed to speak, she looked at him and said in a small voice, "He was going to _kill_ you."

Tom's jaw was clenched, and she could see a muscle twitching there as he held back the anger that always swelled in him at that particular memory.

"Yes." He said simply.

"You didn't go there to kill him." Hermione said almost to herself, to confirm what she had just witnessed.

"No, I didn't. Honestly, I don't know what I expected. I wish I never went there that night." he said still studying her.

She was silent for a time, reflecting on everything she had just witnessed when Tom spoke again.

"Your first attempt at Legillimency was successful, however, this was the most basic level. I not only placed the memory I wanted you to see in the forefront of my mind, but I also put up no resistance to your attempt. It will become much more challenging when you have to wade through the chaos to find what you are looking for, as well as to move past the barriers of a resisting subject."

Hermione nodded, focusing once again on Tom's smooth voice. He handed her a piece of chocolate and encouraged her to eat it before they tried again.

"This time, I will enter your mind and choose what I would like to see. Once I have entered your mind, I will project an image or a feeling that you will relate to. Anything associated with those thoughts or feelings will be drawn to the front of your mind, for me to view."

Hermione nodded, feeling a ball of anxiety settle into her stomach.

"Are you ready?"

Hermione nodded, and said a small prayer to anyone who was listening that he wouldn't find anything embarrassing.

He locked eyes with her, and swirled and flicked his wand, saying, "Legillimens!"

He entered her mind easily, and without the distraction of a memory waiting for him to view, he was surprised to see how organized her mind was. He thought about what he wanted to know, and so he asked her mind to show him how she truly felt about him. He knew it was more out of insecurity than anything else, but he needed to know if she trusted him. Her thoughts had begun to bubble towards the surface of her mind, and he followed the string of thoughts. There was an undercurrent of distrust, though as the thoughts progressed, the level of it diminished somewhat to his relief. It was still there, of course, but it seemed she was starting to see him as a separate entity from his counterpart. He found the memory from earlier that day when she had been attacked by Malfoy, and he watched it play out from her perspective. At first, when he saw himself enter the bathroom, her fear had increased. She hadn't been sure if he was going to assist Malfoy or stop him. The feeling that quickly followed was relief when he asked Malfoy to let her go, but the feeling that most piqued his interest was the pulse of desire he felt roll off of her as he watched himself slam Malfoy against the wall by his throat.

 _Interesting._

He then latched on to the feeling of desire, and was intrigued when he saw more thoughts floating to the front of her mind. He watched another memory of when she entered the common room just a short while ago, and felt the desire pulse through her again as she looked him over while he studied. What he found most interesting was that her strongest feelings of desire for him, occurred when he was in his natural state, and not his polyjuiced form. Surprisingly, her mind had stuck onto Malfoy's crude words, ' _I hope the pussy was worth it'_ , and then it was like he won the jackpot; suddenly a torrent of thoughts streamed forward, all of which included him having her in some compromising position. He latched on to one of them, and watched in amusement as he pulled her onto his lap on the couch, kissing her hungrily, and trailing open mouthed kisses down her neck; his fingers grasping her hips as she moaned softly.

Suddenly, he was violently shoved from her mind, and he stared at her in a daze. She was mortified, and clearly livid, as her hand connected with his cheek with a loud smack.

"How dare you! You had no right!" she shouted standing from the couch, crossing her arms over her chest, feeling thoroughly violated.

His hand flew to his cheek where she had slapped him, and he looked at her shock, "I didn't intend-" he started to say before she cut him off.

"Oh, drop the act, that's bullshit, and you know it!" she snapped angrily.

"Look, I only wanted to see how it is that you perceive me. I wanted to know if you truly see me as Tom, or as Lord Voldemort. I had to know. I didn't intend to go that far." He said putting his hands up to calm her.

"Well, you did. Are you happy now that you've thoroughly humiliated me?" She said as she made to storm off to her room, but he caught her arm before she could walk away, and pulled her to him so that his lips were brushing her ear.

"I'm sorry." he whispered

She closed her eyes and clenched her jaw as she caught the light scent of his after shave.

"The reason I didn't stop, was because I…liked it." He admitted, feeling her body trembling against him.

Hermione's breath hitched and another pulse of desire ran through her as he trailed his nose along her cheek and his arm slid around her waist.

"See for yourself that I'm telling you the truth." He said as he lifted her chin so that she would meet his gaze.

Hermione licked her lips, noticing the way his eyes briefly glanced to her mouth, before they met her gaze once more, and she flicked her wand and whispered "Legillimens"

She was in his mind, and focused on his desire for her. Several thoughts began to emerge one, after the other. The first was earlier that day in potion's class when his hand touched the small of her back. He enjoyed the warmth radiating off of her, and caught himself wondering what her skin would feel like beneath his fingertips. The next was a memory of one of the many times he had made her blush in the common room, and with it, the persistent thought that he would like to see _what else_ he could do to make her blush. Hermione latched on to this thought wondering what things he had in mind, when several more thoughts came to her. There was a particularly naughty one of her kneeling in front of him, biting her lip invitingly, as he began to loosen his belt.

Hermione broke eye contact blushing clear to the roots of her hair. His arm tightened around her waist, and his lips brushed the shell of her ear, kissing her lightly.

"Don't fight it." he whispered softly as his lips moved to capture hers.

He kissed her hungrily, and she leaned into him, sighing into his mouth as she moved a hand up to tangle in his hair, her other arm wrapping around his neck. After a few moments, he guided her towards the couch, pulling her onto his lap just like he had in her imagination. She felt his tongue sweep into her mouth, and she sighed in contentment as his hands roamed over her back, sliding further south until she could feel his fingers gripping her hips tightly. He shifted slightly beneath her, never breaking the kiss, lifting her skirt out of the way as he rolled his hips up into hers so that she could feel his arousal through their clothes. She gasped in surprise, and he smirked against her lips as he pulled her hips back down to meet his, encouraging her to move against him in a steady rhythm. He took control of the kiss, lazily flicking his tongue against hers in a teasing motion, and she began to grind against him more insistently as she felt a throbbing need begin to well up inside of her. His hands left her hips and traveled up to cup her breasts, and she moaned into his mouth as his thumbs brushed over the hardened peaks of her nipples through her blouse. He let out a soft groan as his lips moved to her neck, nibbling and sucking on the sensitive spot just below her ear, wanting nothing more than to take her right there on the common room couch.

Hermione had never done anything like this before with anyone, and even though she knew it wasn't proper, she didn't want to stop. She felt a strong need coiling with in her like a snake, and she began to grind herself against him more urgently, chasing the feeling of release that it promised. She raked her fingers through his hair and heard him groan as his lips continued their assault on her neck. She hadn't known when those few buttons of her shirt had come open to reveal her pink lace bra, but Tom's tongue was now tracing the swell of her breast, and she was _so close_. When his dark eyes met hers as his teeth grazed her nipple through the fabric of her bra, she came; her tensed muscles began to shudder as she felt a powerful sense of release sweep through her causing her to cry out, his name falling from her lips like a prayer. Distantly she heard him hiss as he rolled his hips against hers one final time, and she felt his body tense beneath her with a groan, and then he cursed.

" _Fuck_."

Hermione looked down at him alarm, worried that she might have done something wrong.

"What is it? Did I do something?" she asked nervously, her face already as red as a cherry.

"I'd say so, you just made me come in my pants." He chuckled, a deep rich baritone that made her body tingle pleasantly.

She bit her lip trying not to laugh, painfully aware that she was still straddling his lap, and climbed off of him awkwardly, fastening the buttons of her blouse.

She didn't know what to say, so she just said the first thing that popped into her head, "So…what happens now?"

"Well, I don't know about you, but I need a shower." He said smirking as he pointedly looked down at his crotch.

Hermione chuckled, blushing again at the reminder of what they had just done, and made her way to her bedroom door before she looked back at him over her shoulder biting her lip to keep herself from grinning like a fool, "Goodnight, _Tom_."

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 **Lemons! Not full on lemons, mind you, but mini ones. Its a bit too soon for them to jump into the sack, but be patient! I myself enjoy the anticipation! Did you like the chapter? what did you think of the Twist I put in there about Tom's confrontation with his father? (again, not canon, just wanted to mix things up a bit!) Leave me a review! I'm still catching up with those who reviewed chapter 4, so THANK YOU! I will respond personally very soon! xoxo**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, no profit is being made, this is just for fun**

 **AN: A Big THANK YOU to Beestung2025, Laumirot, InfernalBooks, Skyrosediamond, MauraderinSecret, Morethanbooks, Franchessybee, LadyKaliska, and several of you who reviewed anon as Guests (you know who you are!) I am so happy that this story already has SEVENTY-FOUR follows only 5 chapters in! and almost 30 reviews! I am trying to keep this story as unique as possible, and I have lots in store, so I hope you'll all stick with me on this ride! I'll also leave a few comments at the end - xo**

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Hermione's eyes fluttered open as the sunlight streamed in through her window. As her mind drifted back to the events of the night before, she covered her face with her pillow and groaned at her lack of self-control. How was she going to look him in the eye now? It's not as if they were even dating… _how scandalous._

An unpleasant thought surfaced in her mind; _What if he's just using you?_

She dismissed the thought immediately, convincing herself that he wouldn't do that to her, until she remembered exactly who it was that she was dealing with. _Of course_ he would. He was _Tom Bloody Riddle_.

She let out a frustrated sigh, and climbed out of bed to get ready for the day, strengthening her resolve to not have any more moments of weakness like that again.

She picked up her bag, full of her textbooks that she would need for the day, and yanked open her door, only to come face to face with Tom Spencer's ice blue gaze, his hand poised to knock. She was grateful for his change in appearance if only to avoid the smug look he would surely be wearing if he weren't under the influence of polyjuice potion. She raised her eyebrows expectantly, waiting for him to speak.

He let his hand drop to his side, and then cleared his throat awkwardly, "I thought I'd walk you to breakfast." He said, the corner of his lips lifting into a sheepish smile. _Funny, how he can manage to look so innocent._

Hermione regarded him coolly, "That won't be necessary." She said trying her best to look unaffected by what happened between them the night before, and slipped out of her room, scooting past him. He watched in amusement as she hurried towards the portrait hole, practically sprinting from the room.

Hermione walked as quickly as she could to the Great Hall, and slipped into her seat next to Harry. Harry was leaning his chin on his hand, idly pushing his food around his plate.

"Alright, Harry?" Hermione asked in concern, glancing over at Ron.

Harry sighed and looked up at her, "I have no idea what I'm doing, Hermione." He admitted.

Hermione nodded in understanding, and did her best to soothe him, "No one does, Harry, its not as if there is an instruction manual on how to defeat dark wizards, much as I wish there were."

"I know that, it's just…Dumbledore gave me a task to do before he died. I have no idea where to even begin." He whispered quietly.

"Let's not discuss this here…Let's meet in the room of requirement tonight, just after dinner." Hermione said just as a shadow fell over her on the table, and she looked up into the amused eyes of Tom Spencer.

"Tom." She greeted, trying to keep the irritation from her voice, "Is there something I can help you with?" she asked giving him a fake smile.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, there is. One of the first years set off a dung bomb in the girl's lavatory, and I'm afraid it would be quite inappropriate for me to handle alone." He said biting back a smirk.

"Couldn't one of the prefects handle it?" Ron interjected, looking back and forth between the Head Boy and Head Girl.

"They are all otherwise occupied at the moment, I'm afraid." Tom answered giving Ron and Hermione an apologetic look.

Hermione wasn't fooled, but she was not about to let on that anything was out of ordinary.

"Of course, I'll be right there." Hermione answered shooting a glare towards Tom before she turned back towards her friends, "I'll meet you in class later, I suspect this might take a while." She sighed as she stood, grabbing her bag from beside her seat, and followed Tom out of the Great Hall.

As soon as the doors closed behind them, she turned to Tom, ready to give him a piece of her mind, when instead; he grabbed her wrist and pulled her quickly down the hall and into a supply cupboard, locking and silencing the door behind them.

"What do you think you're doing?" she asked incredulously as he turned to face her, taking a step closer to her.

"Why did you run away from me this morning?" he asked as his arms slid around her waist pulling her flush against him.

She squeaked in surprise, placing her hands against his chest in an attempt to put some space between them, but he wouldn't allow it.

"I asked you first" she sighed and her eyes fluttered closed as his lips found the sensitive spot on her neck.

"I wanted to talk to you. _Alone_." He said between kisses, feeling her relax into his embrace, "You're turn. Answer the question, Hermione", he asked, nipping at her neck with his teeth.

It was difficult for her to think straight with his lips moving against her throat, and she pushed against him again until he reluctantly pulled back and met her eyes.

"Aside from how strange it is kissing you while you are under the influence of polyjuice potion, I know what you're trying to do. It's not going to work." She said crossing her arms over her chest as she leaned away from him so that she could meet his eyes.

"Oh? And what is it, _exactly_ , that you think I'm trying to do?" He asked in amusement, brushing a stray curl back behind her ear as she huffed in annoyance.

"You're trying to manipulate me into feeling sorry for you, so you can do whatever it is that you are planning without my interference." She said flatly, daring him to deny it.

His arms dropped from her waist, and he scoffed, "Is that what you think this is?"

"Isn't it?" she challenged, her heart clenching in her chest at the thought of him admitting that he'd only been using her.

"You know, for someone so intelligent, you are really quite thick sometimes." He said giving her a look of disappointment before he dropped the wards and walked out of the supply closet, leaving her staring after him in shock.

Hermione stood gaping after him for a few long moments, annoyed at his accusation, before she pulled herself together and strolled out of the supply closet with her dignity intact.

By the time she reached their shared Potion's class later that morning, she was relieved to see that Professor Slughorn had decided to change up their seating assignments, making it easier to avoid him. Her relief was short lived when she saw who it was she had been partnered with instead.

"Malfoy." She greeted coldly, as Draco slipped into the seat beside her.

"Mudblood." Draco said just loudly enough for her to hear, sneering at her in disgust.

Hermione resolved to not give him the satisfaction of letting him see how his words affected her, and did her best to ignore him as much as possible.

She was intently focused on chopping the moonflower petals when she was distracted by a soft giggle coming from the seat in front of her. Her eyes drifted towards the sound, and felt a stab of jealousy when she saw the blond sixth year, Astoria Greengrass, leaning towards Tom, laughing at something he said to her.

She gasped as she felt a sharp pain in her finger suddenly, and glanced down at her hands to see that she had not only mangled the petals she had been chopping, but she sliced open her finger too.

Her surprised gasp drew Tom's attention, and he looked back at her, with a raised eyebrow.

"Everything alright?" he asked coolly, glancing down at her bleeding finger and the mangled flower petals, and then back up to meet her eyes, a look of indifference on his face that made her blood boil. _How dare he?_

"I'm fine" she snapped through gritted teeth as she quickly healed the cut and vanished the blood, watching as Tom nodded and turned back to his own potion and over-attentive lab partner.

Draco looked over at her in disgust, not having missed the exchange between her and Tom, "keep that filth out of my potion, mudblood" he spat.

Hermione bit back a more colorful retort, instead saying through gritted teeth, "I'll just go get some more petals, then."

Draco's eyes followed her as she walked away, and then he turned his gaze to Tom, curling his lip as he watched the way Astoria was looking at him.

When Hermione returned to her seat, she had managed to calm herself somewhat, and returned to cutting the moonflower petals the proper way.

Draco smirked as he glanced over at Hermione, "Did you actually think he would be interested in _you_?" Draco said snidely leaning towards her talking just loud enough for her to hear, as her eyes flicked once again towards Tom and Astoria.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Malfoy." She snapped as she dropped the petals into the cauldron, giving it a stir.

"Oh, I think you know exactly what I'm talking about, Granger." Draco continued.

Hermione chose not to answer, making it a point to ignore him.

"Your silence speaks volumes. I'll bet you threw yourself at him, like the pathetic trash that you are, and he turned you down." Draco said smirking as he saw her jaw tense at his words, and continued with his verbal assault.

"Unfortunately for you, it looks like he'll be fucking someone else tonight." Draco sneered just before her hand connected with his cheek in a resounding crack that echoed through the classroom.

"Miss Granger? Mister Malfoy? What is going on here?" Professor Slughorn waddled over, a look of concern plastered across his face.

"She hit me, Professor. She should be expelled!" Draco cried, making himself look like the victim in front of their Professor, as usual.

"Miss Granger? What do you have to say for yourself?" The Professor asked his eyes wide with surprise.

"I apologize, Professor, it won't happen again." She said as her eyes met Tom's surprised blue ones, before looking back down at her feet in anger.

"Yes, well, assaulting another student is a very serious offense, Miss Granger. Fifty points from Gryffindor, and you are to report to your head of house, immediately." Professor Slughorn said giving her a disappointed look, dismissing her from the class.

Hermione shoved her text book in her bag angrily, and strode out of the classroom without a backward glance. She held back her tears, mostly angry with herself for losing control over Malfoy, of all people, as she made her way to Professor McGonagall's office. She lifted her hand to knock, and the Professor pulled open her door with a look of surprise when she saw Hermione standing in front of it.

"Miss Granger, what are you doing out of class?" She asked, stepping back to allow Hermione to enter her office.

"Professor Slughorn sent me" Hermione said as her face began to crumple and the sob she had been trying to hold back escaped her throat.

Professor McGonagall's expression was one of concern, as she handed Hermione a tissue and gestured for her to take a seat across from her desk.

"Miss Granger, many students are sent to my office for being disruptive in class, however, I never expected it from you." she said with a tone of disappointment, "Would you care to tell me what happened?"

Hermione cleared her throat, and met her professor's stern gaze, "I slapped Malfoy."

Professor McGonagall Blinked at her, and before she could stop it, she barked out a laugh.

"Forgive me, Miss Granger, did you say that you _slapped_ Draco Malfoy?" the Professor asked in disbelief.

The corner of Hermione's lip twitched at the Professor's reaction, "Yes, Professor" she said doing her best to sound contrite.

Professor McGonagall bit her lip to keep from laughing again, and did her best to school her features into a look of authority.

"Miss Granger, as I'm sure you are well aware, physically harming another student is a very serious offense; one that could cost you your position as Head Girl." Professor McGonagall said as she folded her hands on top of her desk.

Hermione nodded, doing her best to not start crying all over again.

"However, as this is your first _official_ offense in the seven years you've been a student at this school, you will instead serve detention with Professor Slughorn, every night for a month, is that clear?"

"Yes, Professor" Hermione answered, not missing the way she emphasized the word 'official', and also grateful that she wouldn't lose her position as Head Girl. Despite wanting to avoid Tom at the moment, she still had to work with him, and sharing a common room was the easiest way for her to do so.

"If I may ask, why did you slap Mister Malfoy?" Professor McGonagall asked raising her eyebrow in curiosity

Hermione bit her lip, and decided to tell her professor everything that had happened between she and Draco since the beginning of the year. The Professor listened, a look of anger crossing her face as Hermione told her everything, knowing nothing would be done to punish Draco for his assault on Hermione in the girl's lavatory.

"Between you and me, that boy deserves much more than a slap to his cheek." Professor McGonagall hissed angrily.

"I couldn't agree with you more, Professor. In fact, I did punch him in the face once during third year…" Hermione admitted and then quickly added, " _Allegedly_ …" with a small smile.

"That will be all, Miss Granger, you may report to Horace after dinner this evening." Professor McGonagall said dismissing her with a small knowing smile.

Hermione nodded, giving her a nod of thanks as she headed to her next class, one thankfully, free of Draco Malfoy.

* * *

 **LOL, I loved it so much when Hermione punched Malfoy in third year, It needed to be repeated. This time, in a far more public setting. The tension is brewing! Let me know what you think! xoxo**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, no profit is being made, this is just for fun**

 **AN: Here's the next chapter! A Big thank you to all of you who took the time to review the last chapter, MauraderinSecret, Morethanbooks, Laumirot, Beestung2025, Chard0, Skyrosediamond, Gullb3rg, Infernalbooks, and a few Anons who reviewed as Guests! And NINTY-TWO follows! You guys are awesome! xo**

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"A Month?!" Harry roared as he stared at Hermione in disbelief.

"Honestly, Harry, keep your voice down. Yes, a month, but it's better than losing the Head Girl position." Hermione said quietly focusing on the food on her plate, "Which reminds me, I have to meet Professor Slughorn tonight after dinner, so I won't be able to meet you as planned. Let's meet after curfew instead. Same place." Hermione whispered making sure Ron was also listening.

"Alright. We'll meet you after curfew then." Harry nodded, his eyes drifting over to the Slytherin table to glare at Malfoy.

"Oi Hermione, I think Spencer's smartened up after all, he's not sitting next to Malfoy tonight." Ron said as he stuffed a large spoonful of mashed potatoes in his mouth.

Hermione wrinkled her nose at Ron's disgusting eating habits, and snuck a glance towards the Slytherin table. Her mood darkened further when she saw Tom was sitting next to Astoria, smiling at something she said.

"He's not worth it, you know?" Harry said, when he noticed her frowning towards the Slytherin table.

"What?" Hermione asked in surprise

"Malfoy. He's not worth getting upset over. Everyone knows he's a complete berk." Harry said giving her a half smile.

"Right." Hermione said, relieved that Harry assumed her reaction was caused by Draco, "Well, I should head down to the Dungeons, then, I wouldn't want to keep Professor Slughorn waiting." she said , pushing her plate away and grabbing her bag as she made her way out of the great Hall.

She never noticed the pair of ice blue eyes following her movements as she left.

~~{0}~~

"Miss Granger, punctual as always I see." The Professor said jovially as he made his way over to her.

"What will I be doing for detention this evening, sir?" Hermione asked with a sigh, setting her heavy bag down on a nearby chair. Her class schedule had been so full that she hadn't any time to drop off her bag before dinner.

"I actually have a little task for you, nothing too dangerous mind," the professor rambled as he twirled his mustache with his fingers.

"Nothing _dangerous_ , sir?" Hermione asked questioningly, wondering what it was he was going on about.

"Yes, yes, You see, it is a full moon tonight, and the Moonflower stocks are in dire need of replenishing-" Professor Slughorn began before she interrupted

"But Professor, Moonflowers only grows in the Forbidden Forest! Surely you know that students are not allowed-" she started to argue before he cut her off

"Normally, yes, without the presence of a staff member to accompany them, however, as you are Head Girl, which is _technically_ a staff level position-"

"You can't mean for me to go in there alone, Professor!" Hermione said in shock.

Professor Slughorn laughed, "Of course not, Miss Granger! The Head Boy was gracious enough to agree to accompany you this evening."

Hermione's mouth dropped open just as Tom stepped into the room, giving the professor his best ass-kissing smile.

Hermione glared and clenched her jaw. _Of course. She'd be perfectly safe alone in the Forbidden Forest with Tom Riddle._

"Now, if the two of you don't mind, I have rather a lot of essays to grade, so I'll just leave you to it then." He said patting the wicker basket he had set down on the bench between them.

"Of course, Professor." Hermione relented, glaring up at Tom, as he bit back a smirk.

As soon as the Professor was out of earshot, she crossed her arms over her chest and looked at Tom accusingly.

"You planned this." She stated, daring him to deny it.

Tom scoffed, "Why the _hell_ would I do a thing like that?" he asked incredulously at her accusation.

"That's what I'd like to know." Hermione snapped, pulling her cloak on and grabbing the basket with more force than necessary.

"Why would I purposely give up my free time to go traipsing through the Forbidden Forest, when I could be doing much more pleasurable things?" He argued, chasing after Hermione as she walked quickly from the room without bothering to make sure he was following.

She stopped abruptly, almost slamming into his chest as she spun to face him, getting flustered by his closeness, and snapped, "What, like Astoria Greengrass?"

A smirk began to form at the edge of his lips, as his hands reached out to steady her, "Where would you get an idea like that?" he asked knowingly, watching the blush creep down her neck.

"I'm not deaf, Tom, her incessant giggling in Potions class put Lockhart's fangirls to shame." Hermione snapped, trying to extricate herself from his grasp.

He released her arms, and continued to smirk as she spun away from him, stepping through the doors of the castle out into the chilly night air.

They walked in silence, Hermione doing her best to ignore his presence as they entered the forest.

"Why did you slap Malfoy?" he asked suddenly, turning her to face him.

"It's not important, let go of me." She ordered.

He chuckled, "I don't think so. Not until you answer the question." He said raising an eyebrow at her in challenge.

"He just…said things." Hermione said shrugging out of his grip, trying to change the subject.

"Malfoy says a lot of things, things that you've always managed to ignore. Now, what did he say?" Tom asked again, grabbing the basket out of her hands.

"Can we just drop it? I'd really rather not discuss this with you." She sighed in exasperation, glancing over towards the clearing where she knew the Moonflowers to be.

"No, we can't. Seeing as how I have already witnessed Malfoy blatantly threatening you, I'd like to know what he said that caused you react that way. I won't allow you to put yourself in danger because of some misguided sense of pride." Tom snapped back.

" _Allow me_? What, you think I am incapable of handling myself?" Hermione scoffed.

"Well, you seemed to be doing a bang up job of it the other day." Tom said through gritted teeth as his fingers tightened around her arms.

"Well, at least I know where I stand with him!" She shouted at him and made to push him away from her when he instead growled and backed her against a tree, trapping her against it with his body.

Her shock melted into desire as the polyjuice potion wore off just before his lips crashed into hers, his tongue sweeping into her mouth in a demanding kiss. She clutched the front of his cloak in her fists, and she slid her leg up along his to wrap around his hip, pulling him closer. At the sound of his groan, she remembered that they were in fact in the Forbidden forest, and should really be on their guard.

"Tom" she murmured as she tried to get his attention.

"Mmmm?" He hummed appreciatively as he made no effort to stop kissing her.

"We have to get the flowers." she whispered, biting her lip against the delicious sensations he was causing within her.

She heard him make a small noise of frustration, and finally he pulled himself off of her, running a hand though his disheveled hair, "Right."

Hermione bit back a smirk feeling a small sense of triumph, knowing it was her that made him lose control like that; _not_ Astoria Greengrass.

She stood staring at him with her eyes narrowed as if she were trying to solve a particularly difficult puzzle.

"What?" He asked running a hand over his face, making sure nothing was amiss.

After a few moments passed, she finally seemed to make up her mind, "I thought he was right." She said quietly, almost too low for Tom to hear her.

"Thought who was right?" Tom asked giving her a questioning look as he straightened his green and silver tie.

"Malfoy. I thought he was right. That's why I slapped him." She admitted.

"Right about what? What did he say?" he asked once again taking the basket from her, as he fell into step beside her.

"He said that you could never be interested in _someone like me_. I believed him. It was hard not to knowing who you are, and then I saw you with Astoria..." she admitted, chancing a glance at him from beneath her lashes.

"I have a confession to make." He said trying to bite back a smirk.

Hermione turned sharply to look at him, and forced herself to breathe as she thought to herself _, if he says that I should have listened to Malfoy, I swear to god, I'll hex him into next week._

"I only flirted with her because I knew it would upset you." Tom admitted, the corner of his lips curving into a smirk.

Hermione scoffed, "And what made you think I would have cared?" she said putting her hands on her hips turning to face him with her eyebrows raised.

"Don't you? I mean, you're not exactly the type who snogs every bloke you see." Tom smirked at her in challenge.

"That still doesn't prove anything." Hermione sniffed, not wanting to admit defeat.

"Oh, well, if you'd rather I give my attention to Astoria, I'd be happy to-" he began before Hermione snatched her hand out to grab his tie and pulled him to her

"Don't even think about it." She snapped before she kissed him hard trapping his bottom lip between her teeth as she pulled back, letting it go with a pop.

When his eyes opened, his irises were practically black, his pupils blown wide as he gazed at her.

"Noted." He said with a smirk as he took the basket from her fingers and tossed it aside, "it's time to stop playing hard to get." He said as he slid his hands over her hips feeling her melt against him.

Hermione sighed in contentment as his lips grazed her neck, his hands practically setting her on fire, "God, don't you dare stop…" she breathed, and she felt him smile against her throat at her commanding tone and continued kissing the sensitive spot on her neck, "But just so we're clear, if you betray me _in any way_ , I'll destroy you." She whispered into his ear

Tom let out a naughty chuckle that made her knees go weak, "You had me at ' _destroy you_ '" he said as he pulled her down with him onto the soft grass.

~~{0}~~

"Where have you been? We've been waiting over an hour for you!" Harry snapped, opening the door to the room of requirement for Hermione.

"Oh, um…My detention took longer than I thought." She said, trying to hide her blush. Truthfully, she had lost track of time snogging Tom in the Forbidden Forest that they had to rush to collect the moonflowers before they returned to the castle.

Harry didn't seem to notice, and went back to his seat on the couch, "Right, so I suppose I should tell you, that aside from the locket horcrux and the ring that Dumbledore destroyed, that I haven't the slightest idea what the others could be." Harry sighed running his hand through his hair.

Hermione nodded, pulling a sheet of parchment and a quill from her bag, causing both Harry and Ron to look at her oddly. She knew she could ask Tom, but she didn't want to risk Harry becoming suspicious of how she got her information…in order for this plan to work, Harry would need to find the answers on his own.

"Hermione, what are you doing?" Harry asked, his eyebrows lifted in surprise, "I don't think this is the sort of thing we want written on paper, you know?"

"Relax, Harry, I'm going to burn it before we leave this room. I find that writing things down and making an organized list helps me think more clearly." She said rolling her eyes.

"Brilliant." Said Ron, nodding at her encouragingly, and looking at Harry as if to say, _What?_

"Alright, so in this column, we'll list possible horcruxes, and in this column, we'll list what we think they have in common. That might help us predict some of the others.

"Well, there's the locket, and the Gaunt ring." Harry said with a sigh.

"Excellent." Hermione said as she jotted down the two horcruxes in the left hand column.

"Dumbledore said that he thought Tom Riddle, _Voldemort_ , had made seven horcruxes." Harry said trying to recall everything that Dumbledore had told him before he was killed.

"Why did he think that?" Ron asked looking between Harry and Hermione.

"I dunno, He said that he recalled seeing seven rocks lined up on Tom Riddle's windowsill in his room at the orphanage. He said that Tom had seemed pre-occupied with the number seven. It's an assumption, but one that makes sense." Harry said shrugging his shoulders.

"Seven is the most magically powerful number, if you listen to Bridget Wenlock's Arithmancy theories, anyway." Hermione said nonchalantly, looking up as Harry and Ron both stared at her silently.

"Honestly, don't either of you two read?" Hermione said in exasperation, shaking her head.

"What do the two items we know of so far have in common?" Ron asked, glancing at Harry and Hermione

"Well, he was the heir of Slytherin, which could explain the locket." Harry said and he watched as Hermione's quill scratch across the parchment.

"Right. According to my research, He was descended from the Gaunts who were direct descendants of Salazar Slytherin." Hermione confirmed.

"Wait a second…the ring. I think Dumbledore said it had belonged to his uncle or maybe it was his grandfather... He was one of the Gaunt's, I believe…Morphin, Marvolo…?" Harry said trying to recall the name.

"Marvolo. It must have been, since that was Tom Riddle's middle name." Hermione said nodding at Harry and writing it down.

"Oi, How do you know what his middle name was?" Ron asked looking at her like she had sprouted a second head.

"Honestly, Ronald, it was printed on his Diary. Do try to keep up." Hermione said rolling her eyes and smirking at Harry.

"Both seem to be items relating directly to his link with Slytherin." Harry said tapping his finger on his lower lip as the wheels turned in his head.

"Maybe we should go search the Chamber? I mean, that's where it all began, isn't it. Harry already destroyed the Basilisk, so it should be safe." Ron piped up, and Hermione's mouth fell open.

"Ron! You're brilliant!" Hermione said excitedly, looking down at the parchment, shocked that she hadn't realized it sooner.

Ron snorted, "First she insults me, and then tells me I'm brilliant. You need to make up your mind, Hermione!"

"Harry you already destroyed one horcrux! Tom Riddle's diary! You said he had preserved a part of himself within its pages! You destroyed it with the tooth of a Basilisk!" she said watching Harry's eyes light up.

"Hermione, I could kiss you!" Harry said as he shot out of his seat, running to the door.

Hermione sucked in a breath remembering that the locket horcrux was the only thing shielding Tom's presence at Hogwarts from Harry.

"Wait, Harry! Before you do anything drastic, we should try to see what else we can uncover before you attempt to destroy the locket. We don't want to risk Voldemort discovering what we are up to before we're ready."

Harry stopped with his hand on the door, and turned around letting out a breath, "You're right. We need to have a plan. We can't risk him finding out too soon and making sure the others are protected."

Hermione inwardly sighed in relief when Harry agreed.

"Well, at least now we know how to destroy them." She said, and she saw the first real spark of hope light up Harry's face since before Dumbledore was killed.

* * *

 **Ahhh! So** **Kinda together now though it's still on the DL...they don't want anyone to know just yet, but at least they can admit their attraction to each other! So what did you think? Love it? Hate it? I felt like Hermione was really on point in this chapter...she's definitely no shrinking violet, and I honestly don't think she would back down from Tom. (At least, not student Tom...Voldemort might be a different story, since he's a bit more unhinged.)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, no profit is being made, this is just for fun**

 **AN: Thank you to all those who reviewed the last chapter: Negativecreep91, NicoruNS, Skyrosediamond, Katriiiris, Beestung2025, Tadah2, and KatTheKlaw! I hope you all enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it! Warning, a bit of a lemon (a small one) right in the beginning. Please review! xo**

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Hermione squeaked in surprise as Tom's hand slid under her skirt as she lay beneath him on their common room couch, and her hand quickly grabbed his wrist before he could go any further.

"What's wrong?" he asked still breathless from kissing her.

Hermione blushed. As much as she was enjoying his attention, and she _really_ was, she was nervous. She had never even properly kissed a boy before Tom, and everything seemed to be moving rather fast.

"Nothing, I just…" she began.

"Do you want me to stop?" He asked

"No! I mean…not completely, no…just maybe keep it above the waist for now?" she asked blushing.

"I'll stop if you want me to stop, Hermione." He said pushing back his frustration not wanting to shatter her newly placed trust in him.

"It's not that, it's just…I don't have a lot of experience with this sort of thing." She admitted biting her lip nervously.

He smiled at her indulgently and leaned closer to whisper in her ear, "Good" and moved in slowly to capture her lips again. She sighed into his mouth, feeling her body melt against his, and she could swear that she could feel the tiny electric shocks from his magic pricking at her skin as his hand slid up her waist to cup her breast over her blouse. She involuntarily bucked her hips at the contact, which elicited a groan from him. There was no mistaking how hard he already was.

He pulled back from her reluctantly, and breathing in deeply through his nose and meeting her eyes.

"Are you okay?" she asked nervously, wondering why he suddenly stopped.

"Yes, but you're going to give me blue balls if you keep doing that." He chuckled and reached down to adjust himself with a grimace.

Hermione snorted, "Is that bad? It sounds bad."

Tom laughed, dropping his face into the crook of her neck, "Yes, it's bad. Trust me."

Hermione laughed, warmed by how comfortable and _safe_ she felt in his arms. She never in a million years ever would have thought that she could feel that way with _him_.

"Maybe we should stop. I wouldn't want to cause you any unnecessary damage." She said smirking as she took the opportunity to sit up as he moved off of her.

"Well, nothing permanent anyway, I'll just have a good wank before bed tonight, and I'll be fine." He said smirking and running a hand through his disheveled hair.

Another hot pulse of desire shot through her at his words, and she bit her lip as images of Tom naked in the shower stroking himself while he thought about _her_ filled her mind. She wasn't a Gryffindor for nothing…

"Maybe…maybe I could help?" she said giving him a playful smirk as she recalled the fantasy she saw in his mind of her kneeling before him while he loosened his belt.

He groaned and let his head fall to the back of the couch, "You're killing me, you know…"

"I'm being serious. I want to…will you show me?" she asked moving to kneel in front of him, running her hands up his muscled thighs.

His eyes had fluttered shut for a moment, and he sucked his bottom lip between his teeth in an effort to regain control.

"You don't have to…" he said giving her an almost pained expression.

"I want to…" she said sliding her right hand over the rather impressive bulge in his trousers.

" _Merlin_ …" he gasped as his hips rolled forward against her palm.

She took that as a sign of approval, and flicked the button of his trousers open, biting her lip in anticipation. He lifted his hips slightly so she could pull his pants down over his hips, watching her intently as she did. She licked her lips nervously as her eyes fell on his very hard cock, and he hissed in pleasure when she wrapped her hand around his girth to slowly stroke it. She could see a bead of moisture at the tip, and her tongue darted out to taste it, wondering what he tasted like. She heard him groan again and curse under his breath, and her eyes snapped up to meet his gaze. His pupils were blown wide in his state of arousal, and she gave him a slow smile as she leaned forward and ran her tongue along his length, sucking the head of his cock into her mouth. As soon as her lips closed around his cock, his hips jerked forward and it slid deeper into her mouth

" _Fuck,_ Hermione…" he said with barely controlled restraint.

She wasn't quite sure what she was doing, but she had unsurprisingly learned a thing or two after sharing a dorm room with Lavender and Pavarti over the past six years. According to them, you just needed to suck on it the way you would a Popsicle, and that guys seem to like it when you use your tongue. She took him in as deep as she could without gagging, and sucked, letting him draw back out and then slide back in again. As he pulled back, she would sweep her tongue along his length, and swirl it around the head of his cock, and she was rewarded by his groan of pleasure. She could tell he was close to his climax if the way he was clutching the couch cushions with a white knuckled grip was any indication. She continued at a steady pace, her eyes flicking up to his, enjoying the way he was watching her with a look of pure lust in his eyes.

"I'm going to… _fuck_ …I'm going to come…" he said in a husky voice just before his hands moved up to twist in her hair.

She felt a rush of wetness between her thighs making her underwear decidedly damp as she watched him lose his carefully crafted control. The salty liquid coated the back of her throat and she swallowed it, and then sat back on her heels and wiping her mouth with the back of her hand as he pulled his pants back up and gave her a crooked smile.

"Was that okay?" she asked having a pretty good idea that it was more than ' _okay_ ', but the over-achiever in her still wanted to know that she'd done a good job.

" _Okay_? That was fucking _brilliant_."he said as he shifted sideways on the couch and pulled her up to sit between his legs so she could relax against his chest.

She smiled at the compliment, happy that she had pleased him.

"Good, now you can't blame me for Blue balls, whatever that is." Hermione said smirking as he laughed behind her, his deep sound of it vibrating through her chest pleasantly.

"No, I most certainly can't." he said dropping a kiss on the top of her head and wrapping his arms around her securely.

"Tom?" she asked as a silence descended between them.

"Yeah?"

"I want you to come to a D.A. meeting with me. Would you?" she asked him.

"D.A.? Is this like a Dark Arts intervention or something? Because I told you…" he began as she started laughing.

"No, no…D.A. stands for _Dumbledore's Army_. It's just something a group of us came up with a couple years ago when Umbridge was taking over the school and keeping us from learning anything useful in Defense class. We figured we had to learn to defend ourselves somehow, so we sort of formed a secret group so that we could practice without getting caught." She explained.

He nodded, "Who's teaching you?" he asked

Hermione blushed, "Mostly Harry. He's the only one who's faced well… _Voldemort_ , and so he's been teaching us what he knows. It's not perfect, but it's better than nothing. If you were to join though, and show us what you know, it could give us the edge we need." Hermione said biting her lip, hoping he'd agree.

He was silent for a few moments, and she held her breath when she heard him say, "Alright."

She turned and kissed him again, a brilliant smile lighting up her face as she looked at him.

"Thank you. You have no idea what this means to us." She told him seriously.

He lifted her chin and looked into her eyes, "I've no intention of letting him win, Hermione."

She was quiet for a moment, considering his words, and then she met his eyes once more and said, "I know." And he knew she was telling the truth.

~~{0}~~

"Harry, we need him." Hermione said in a hushed tone as she sat next to him, Ron, and Ginny in front of the fireplace in the Gryffindor common room the next morning.

"We can't risk it, Hermione, he's a Slytherin. Not only that, but we don't know very much about him." Harry argued, and she could see Ron nodding his agreement from the corner of her eye.

"Just because he's a Slytherin doesn't mean…" she began before Harry cut her off.

"Hermione, have you forgotten who's in charge now? The Slytherins are all children of Death Eaters. I won't risk-" he began before she cut him off.

"He saved me from Malfoy." Hermione spat, getting annoyed with their blind hatred towards Slytherins. She wasn't planning on telling them about the incident in the lavatory knowing it would only cause Harry to do something rash, but she saw no other way to convince them.

" _What_?" Harry asked.

"Malfoy and his cronies cornered me in the girl's lavatory a few days ago. Who knows what he would have done to me if Tom hadn't shown up. Haven't you noticed he no longer sits next to Malfoy at meals? He's not one of them, Harry. I _trust_ him." she said blushing, knowing that she spoke the truth.

Ron's ears turned pink, " _Of course_ you do. All the bloody girls in this school fancy him."

She looked at Ron sharply, annoyed that he was playing the jealous card now, with something so important.

"Honestly, that has nothing to do with it! He can teach us things that we'll never learn here at Hogwarts!" she hissed angrily.

"Right, because at Durmstrang, they teach the students the Dark Arts, don't they?" Ron spat accusingly.

Harry interrupted before Hermione could retort, "She may have a point, Ron. I mean, we're fighting against dark wizards who have no problem using dark curses; maybe Tom knows how to defend against them." He said thoughtfully, and Hermione felt herself relax. She could always count on Harry to be sensible, even if he doesn't like something at first. Ron on the other hand…

"I still don't like it, mate." Ron said giving Hermione a sulky glare, and she rolled her eyes.

"Right, so it's settled then. We'll activate the coins for a meeting this Saturday, and Hermione will bring Tom. If things simply don't work out, we could always obliviate him." Ginny said shrugging looking around at Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Hermione smirked at the thought that Riddle would ever allow himself to be obliviated, but she said nothing.

"Well, one thing's for certain, he won't look quite so smug with 'Sneak' on his forehead." Ron muttered darkly under his breath, to which Hermione only glared.

"Should we meet tonight to continue what we were working on then?" Harry asked cryptically, glancing at Hermione, who only grimaced.

"Can't, sorry…I got roped into attending another one of those suck up parties." Hermione sighed as Ron continued to eye her speculatively.

"Who're you going with?" he asked a bit too quickly, his cheeks turning the same shade as his ears.

Hermione winced. She supposed she had to tell them at some point, even if she didn't want to broadcast it to the school.

"Professor Slughorn invited Tom, and-" Hermione began before Ron scoffed.

"You're going on a _date_ with him now too? Is that why you want him to join the D.A? Can't be without your boyfriend for _five minutes_?" Ron spat

Hermione gaped at him, "For your information, Ronald, Tom had the guts to _ask_ me!" Hermione huffed, but she was far from done.

"When it comes to bravery, I'd say he's more of a Gryffindor than you'll _ever_ be." Hermione spat and stood, letting the door slam behind her as she walked out of the common room.

~~{0}~~

She headed down to the great hall, muttering under her breath about red-headed pricks when she finally reached the double doors. She felt someone grasp her arm, and she turned to find herself looking up into the ice blue eyes of Tom Spencer.

"What's got you all worked up?" He asked furrowing his brows at her.

"Nothing, it's nothing." She said dismissively, not wanting to add Tom to the list of Ron's enemies, though, to be fair, she supposed they all were on his list…well, his _other self's_ list.

She heard a sarcastic scoff come from somewhere behind her, and she turned to see Harry, Ron, and Ginny heading towards them on their way into the Great Hall. It seemed Ron would always get jealous when she showed interest in someone, but never have the nerve to do anything but take out his jealousy on her. Well, she was not putting up with it, _not anymore_. Before she even had time to think about what she was doing, she turned back to Tom and pulled his face down to hers and kissed him hard on the mouth, wrapping her arms around his neck, pressing herself as close to him as she could. She knew it was petty, but at the moment, she didn't care.

As she pulled back from him, he had a slight smirk on his face, and he raised an eyebrow at her questioningly. He was a Slytherin though, and not about to let the opportunity be wasted. He slipped his arm around her waist and turned to look at Harry and Ron. Ginny was biting back a smirk, Harry simply looked uncomfortable, but Ron looked _murderous_.

"Ron, was it? We met briefly on the train, but I don't believe we've had a chance to get properly acquainted. Mind if Hermione and I join you three for breakfast?"

"That would be lovely!" Ginny answered quickly before Ron could open his mouth and ushered them into the Great hall over to the Gryffindor table. Tom slipped into the seat beside Hermione who now looked slightly sick, regretting her impulsive decision.

"So Tom! Hermione tells us that you asked her to the Slug Club dinner. Is that how you two got together?" Ginny asked brightly, ignoring Hermione's mortified expression, and Ron's angry glare. It seemed Tom and Ginny were both a bit sadistic.

Tom smiled charmingly, "Well, to be quite honest, Miss Weasley, she turned me down at first." Tom said chuckling, even going so far as to blush.

"Really?" Ginny said as if she found that hard to believe. What witch in her right mind would turn down a wizard who looked like _that_?

"No, it's true. In fact, she called me…what was it again? Oh yes…a _giant fucking arsehole_." Tom smirked as Hermione choked on her pumpkin juice.

Ginny snorted, "Why did she call you that?"

"Well, I had initially assumed it was due to my being a member of Slytherin house. Even though I am new to here, I'm not blind to the house rivalry; but I think really, she was _jealous_." He answered.

Ron continued to glare at Tom, his hands tightening into fists against the table, but said nothing.

"In any case, she had no reason to be jealous; any wizard who fails to see her beauty is a _fool_." Tom said as he looked pointedly at Ron.

Ron shot up from the table angrily and stormed out of the Great Hall without a word.

"Did I say something?" Tom asked innocently, looking back and forth between Hermione, Harry, and Ginny with a wide-eyed expression.

Harry sighed and just shook his head, "Don't worry about it, mate, he just needs to get over it." Harry answered, giving a small smile to Hermione, "I'm just glad to see Hermione happy."

Ginny nodded in agreement with Harry, and threaded her arm through his, "My brother's an ass, don't take it personally."

* * *

 **AN: Coming up next, the Slug Club dinner, the DA meeting, and more Tom/Hermione goodness!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, no profit is being made, this is just for fun**

 **AN: A New Chapter! Finally! I'm really sorry this took so long. The sickness this winter has been brutual, and work has been crazy...Jeez, I just want more time to write! Is that too much to ask?! Warning: smut in this chapter! (well, just a bit.)**

* * *

Hermione stared at her reflection and wished she had bothered to learn a few simple beauty spells that would have helped tame her wild curls as she attempted to wrestle them into submission. Eventually, she managed to pull her hair back into a loose braid, and she sighed as she looked down at her pitiful stash of muggle makeup, and wondered where she should start. The Slug Club dinner wouldn't be as fancy as the Christmas party the Professor usually threw, but that didn't mean guests weren't expected to still look nice. She vehemently refused to use the eyelash curler, deciding it would be better suited as a medieval torture device than a beauty tool, and opted for a light touch of brown eye shadow and a bit of mascara instead. She had just finished applying a dab of sheer pink lip gloss to her lips when she heard the knock on her bedroom door.

"Hermione?" Tom called through the door, and she took a last look at her reflection in the mirror before she opened the door. She knew it was silly, but she wanted to look nice for Tom; he was so handsome that sometimes she couldn't help but wonder why he would be interested in someone so _plain_.

When she opened the door, he was leaning casually against the doorframe with a flask of polyjuice potion in his hand.

"Ready." She said giving him a small smile as she stepped out of her room, blushing slightly as his eyes took in her appearance. She had decided on a simple dark blue knee length dress, and ballet flats.

"You're beautiful." He said softly, pulling her into his arms and trying to steal a kiss before they left. She stopped his mouth with her hand just before he reached her lips and gave him a mischievous smile.

"Unless you want to wear pink lip gloss to Slughorn's party, I'd reserve the kissing for later." She chuckled.

He smirked, "I plan to do _much_ more than kiss you later."

Hermione felt her stomach do a somersault at his words, and took the opportunity to look him up and down. He was wearing a pair of black trousers and a white oxford shirt with the top button left undone, and a casual black blazer.

"I'm looking forward to it." She said playfully as she pulled him towards the door. Before he opened it, he drank the contents of the flask, and Hermione watched as he transformed into the familiar face of Tom Spencer.

"Ready?" he asked once he felt the tingle of magic subside.

"As I'll ever be. Let's get this over with." She sighed in resignation and he chuckled as he pulled the door closed behind them.

 **oOo0oOo**

"Tom! And Miss Granger! How wonderful that you both could join us! Come in, Come in!" The Professor beamed as he ushered them inside to a large dining room where several students were already gathered.

"I trust no introductions are necessary?" The professor asked jovially as he patted them on the back and nudged them both towards a group of Slytherins that Hermione wasn't particularly fond of.

"Of course not, Professor." Hermione answered politely, and did her best to keep a polite smile on her lips.

"Tom!" Hermione turned at the sound of the female voice, and felt her mood darken as Astoria Greengrass approached them.

"Astoria, you look lovely this evening." Tom said politely and dropped a kiss on her hand as was customary, though Hermione wanted to vomit at the sound of the girlish giggling that accompanied the gesture.

"I do hope you'll save me a dance, Tom." Astoria said blushing before he let go of her hand, looking pointedly in Hermione's direction.

 _Was she hitting on him right on front of her?!_

As Tom opened his mouth to answer, stepped up beside him and slipped her arm over his elbow.

"Tori, it's wonderful to see you outside of class at a social event. To be honest, I'm surprised Draco allowed you to attend." Hermione said innocently, and had to bite back a smirk at both the look of indignation on Astoria's face, and the look of surprise on Tom's.

"Oh? And what makes you think I need his permission to attend an academic dinner?" Astoria spat, obviously offended at Hermione's insinuation.

"Well, since he was not invited to attend himself, I rather thought he'd discourage your attendance, considering your recent betrothal…" Hermione said triumphantly watching the flush of anger creep up onto the other girl's face.

"Yes, well, he doesn't _own_ me." Astoria shot back, crossing her arms over her chest defiantly.

"…Yet." Hermione scoffed and rolled her eyes

"Perhaps we should get something to drink?" Tom interjected pulling Hermione towards the drink table sensing the growing tension between the two girls. Once they were out of ear-shot, he smirked at Hermione knowingly.

"Still jealous, are you?" he said just low enough for her to hear as he poured them both a glass of punch.

Hermione snorted, "Hardly. She'll just be another one of Malfoy's trophies by the end of the year."

Not fooled by her unaffected tone, he pulled her close and whispered in her ear, "It's _you_ that I want."

Her breath hitched and her heart beat faster at the feel of his lips brushing her ear before he pulled away, handing her a glass.

"Now, let's get this over with so we can focus on more _pleasurable_ things." He said, clinking his glass against hers, the smirk on his lips filled with wicked promise.

 **oOo0oOo**

As the party drew to a close and students began to make their way back to their dormitories, Tom laced his fingers through Hermione's and pulled her back to the Head's quarters. As soon as the door to their common room closed behind them, she found herself pinned against it as Tom's lips left a trail of kisses down her neck.

"I've been waiting to do that all night." He breathed against her skin as his hands slipped around her waist, pulling her against him.

She moaned softly as his fingers found the zipper of her dress, and she made no move to stop him as he pushed the silky material off of her shoulders, and watched as it pooled at her feet. She flushed scarlet as she stood before him in only her undergarments; a pale pink bra and pale pink no nonsense cotton panties with a small bow in the front.

She made to cross her arms over her chest in embarrassment, but he held her arms at her sides.

"Don't, you're beautiful, Hermione." He breathed as he took in her creamy skin and shapely legs.

She chuckled nervously, and bit her lip shyly, "I'm feeling a bit exposed."

He raised an eyebrow in amusement and began to shrug off his blazer.

"What are you doing?" she asked in confusion.

"Evening the playing field." He said as his fingers deftly opened the buttons of his oxford shirt, one at a time, until it his toned pale chest was revealed to her.

Hermione swallowed thickly as her eyes fell on the dark trail of hair that disappeared beneath the waistband of his pants.

"See something you like?" he teased, as he leaned into her again, nuzzling her neck and nipping it playfully with his teeth.

"When does the polyjuice wear off again?" Hermione breathed as her hands came up and pushed his oxford shirt the rest of the way off, smiling in satisfaction as it landed in a pile on the floor beside her dress.

Tom chuckled and lifted his wrist to check the time on his watch, "Any moment now." He breathed into her ear.

A moment later as he felt the tingle of magic wash over him, he took a step back, and she watched as he transformed back into Tom Riddle.

"There you are. I was beginning to feel guilty about letting another man undress me." Hermione teased as she pulled him to her, nipping his bottom lip with her teeth.

She squeaked in surprise when he lifted her up and kissed her hungrily

"Wrap your legs around me." He breathed against her lips.

She was too aroused to reply, so she nodded breathlessly and did as he asked, when he suddenly pulled her away from the door and carried her to his bedroom.

She felt a thrill run through her at the thought that this was the first time she was in a boy's bedroom _alone_.

"Tom, I'm not supposed to be in here with you." She giggled against his lips just before he tossed her onto his bed, and proceeded to crawl towards her like a predator.

"You're right. Do you want to leave?" he asked giving her a sexy grin and turning his smoldering dark gaze on her.

"No…" she admitted, her voice husky with arousal.

"Good, because I want to kiss you here…" he said as he leaned down, dropping a chaste kiss on her lips.

"Here…" he said again as his lips skimmed over her jaw to the crook of her neck.

"Here…and here…" he continued his journey south placing a kiss over the swell of each of her breasts while his fingers managed to release the clasp of her bra, and slip it off.

"Here…" he said softly as his lips traveled over the soft swell of her stomach until they reached the apex of her thighs.

"And… _here_." He breathed against the already damp cotton fabric of her panties. He could feel her trembling beneath him, and he glanced up at her for permission, hooking his thumbs into the waistband of her panties. She lifted her hips, granting him permission, and he slid them down her legs leaving a trail of kisses as he went.

"Tom…Please…" Hermione was practically writhing in anticipation

When he settled himself between her thighs once more, He could sense her nervousness in spite of her arousal.

"I have wanted to do this for a while. Is this ok?" he asked dropping a kiss on her thigh to help ease her nervousness.

Again, too nervous and aroused to speak, she nodded and watched him though hooded eyes.

As his lips began to move against her _there_ , she sucked in a breath and her fingers grasped his bedsheets in a white knuckle grip, her back arching up off the bed.

He groaned, feeling emboldened by how responsive she was to him, and slipped a finger inside her wanting desperately to make her come apart beneath him.

"You taste so good, Hermione, God I want you so much…" he mumbled against her sex as he continued to swirl his tongue around her clit, slipping a second finger into her to join the first.

She was rocking her hips against him now, and her hands were tangled in his hair; he could tell by her shallow breathing and incoherent moans that she was close. He sucked hard on her clit, flicking it with his tongue as he curled the fingers that were inside of her just slightly, and that's when he felt her let go. She cried out his name, and he continued to lap at her, prolonging her orgasm until she sat up and pushed him away when she couldn't take any more.

"Oh my God" she panted, trying to catch her breath in a state of post-orgasmic bliss.

Tom crawled back up her body, quite pleased with himself, and leaned back on his elbow beside her, gazing down at her with a amused smirk.

She flushed realizing she was now completely naked in his bed while he was still wearing his pants.

"You're over dressed, Mister Riddle." She said as she turned on her side to face him, emboldened by what they had just done.

"Miss Granger, I fear that if I remove anything else, you'll not be leaving this room with your virtue intact." Tom said teasingly as he nipped her lip playfully.

For a moment, Hermione actually considered letting him take her virginity right there in his bed, but the threat of pregnancy stopped that thought in its tracks. That was one thing that her parents had always hammered into her; that getting pregnant at a young age, especially before she finished her schooling, could ruin her life.

"Tom, I…" she began, and he could tell she wasn't quite ready for that just yet.

"Hush, we're not going any further tonight." He said as he pulled her against his chest.

She looked up at him shyly, biting her lip.

"What about you?"

He lifted an eyebrow and smirked down at her when he felt her hand slide over to palm his erection. His nostrils flared and he groaned, letting his head fall back in pleasure.

She remembered their last conversation about blue balls and had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. Suddenly, she pulled her hand away from his already straining erection and stood from the bed. She could see him gaping at her as she looked back at him over her shoulder; she llicked her lips slowly and said, "Well, are you _coming_?" as she made her way towards his bathroom, moving her hips enticingly as she walked.

Tom sprang from the bed and followed her in, not needing to be asked twice.


End file.
